The Return Of The Betrayed Guardian
by Knight of Kanto
Summary: Years ago Ash was Betrayed by those he trusted. Now with a tournament about to start Takeo Hayashi returns to prove himself to the world.
1. A Chance For Revenge

Hey guys this is the start of the updated version of this story. The original had so many mistakes (especially in the first 10 chapters) that I wanted to fix and generally improve.

Here's the first chapter I hope you enjoy.

In conversations:

'- Translation of Poké Speech – No human unless otherwise stated can understand it. Ash can understand it due to his Aura.

"- Human speech

**"- Telepathy**

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

* * *

A man stood at the peak of Mount Quena gazing off into the distance. On his shoulder sat a Meowth and a Lucario stood to his right. The man is about 21 years old, stood a little over 6 foot and had a lean build. His main features were his messy raven black hair and his brown eyes which seemed to have a hint of blue. Behind him a group Pokémon were battling each other. The Pokémon were a Blastoise, a Charizard, an Infernape, a Meganium, a Donphan, a Heliolisk, a Primeape, a Butterfree, an Aurorus, a Luxray, an Absol, a Glaceon, a Gardevoir, a Milotic, a Flygon, a Tyranitar, a Scizor, Porygon Z, and a Rotom. The sounds of their attacks clashing echoed through the mountains. The Meowth noticed the faraway look in his friends eyes.

"Hey boss are ya thinking about dat day again?" Meowth asked in concern.

The man looked at the cat with a blank expression on his face.

"Yes unfortunately. I remember it as if it was yesterday." he said in an emotionless voice

* * *

_Flashback (7 years ago)_

_Ash was walking home after his defeat to Tobias in the Sinnoh league. Although he was disappointed to lose he took pride in the fact that he took down 2 legendary Pokémon something that nobody else had done. He got to his house and knocked on the door. His mother opened the door and had a huge smile on her face._

"_Hi mum it's great to see you."he said happily._

_His mother lunged forward and pulled him into a bone crushing hug. Ash felt the air squeezed out of his lung._

"_Mum I can't breathe."_

_She released him and Ash was able to breathe again._

"_Sorry I'm just so happy to see you back home again."_

"_I'm happy to be back. How about I tell you everything that has happened over the past year."_

"_I would love to hear what has happened. But Professor Oak wants to see you at his lab."_

_Ash was confused. "Why?"_

"_I don't know Professor Oak just told me that it was important."_

"_Ok I'll be back as soon as I am done at the lab."_

_Ash shot out of the door and ran straight to Professor Oak's lab. He walked through the open door and looked in the main room. In the room sat almost all of his past travelling companions as well as Professor Oak. Ash looked at the serious looks on their friends faces and wondered what was wrong._

_"Hey guys what's up?" He asked as he sat in one of the vacant seats._

_"Ash we need to talk to you about something very important. So be quiet and listen." Ash was shocked. He'd never heard Brock use such a harsh and cold tone._

_"Okay Brock. So what do you wanna talk about?"_

_Everyone looked at each other unsure how to say it. Ash was starting to get worried about what was going on. He was about to ask again when Misty yelled out "Ash you suck at training Pokémon. We've been talking about this for a while now and we all think you should give up your stupid dream cos it's never gonna happen! You're a complete failure and I feel embarrassed to even know you."_

"_Yeah Ashy-boy you are worthless. We don't want anything to do with a loser like you."_

_Ash was in shock. Surely this was just some kind of joke."y-y-you're joking right?"_

_Max then spoke up. "No Ash we are not, we all agreed on this, we think you're a weak and pathetic excuse of a trainer."_

_Ash looked around at the faces of his so called friends and saw them all nod their heads in agreement. His heart felt like it had been smashed into a million pieces. The feeling only got worse when he saw Pikachu was sat next to Max agreeing with them. Tears began to form in Ash's eyes as he comprehended the reality of the situation. It was all to much for Ash and after taking one more glance at his former friends who were now glaring at him he got up and he stormed out the door with tears now trickling down his cheeks. _

_When he ran outside he was stopped by his Pokémon who were stood in front of him. Most of them were glaring angrily at him. The only exceptions were Charizard, Bayleaf, Infernape and Donphan. Said Pokémon walked forward and handed their Pokéballs to Ash. The rest of his Pokémon now either maintained their glares or began growling. His former friends then walked outside smug looks on their faces._

_"See Ashy-boy even your own Pokémon think you're pathetic" mocked Gary_

_Ash ignored him and returned Bayleaf, Infernape and Donphan. He then jumped onto Charizard's back telling him to take him to Vermillion City. As Charizard took off Ash yelled out "One day I'll be back and when that day comes you will be sorry for what you've done" and then Ash was gone._

_End Flashback_

* * *

Suddenly a piercing screech rang out which broke Ash out of his reverie. He looked in the direction it came from and saw a Pidgeot flying towards him. The Lucario formed an Aura Sphere in his palm just in case the Pidgeot proved to be a threat. The Flying type was unfazed by the now growling Lucario and landed in front of the Ash. It used it's wing to point at the scrap of paper attached to it's leg. Ash took it and began reading it in his head. The Pidgeot then took off. Seeing that the potential threat was gone Lucario dissolved the Aura Sphere and looked at his master.

'Master what does the letter say?'

"Lucario how many times have I told you not to call me Master?"

'Over nine thousand.'

Ash chuckled then began reading the message.

_Dear Takeo Hayashi,_

_There is a tournament coming up that is held every 10 years called the Championship of Legends. It is held to decide the best trainer in the world and I believe you are more than capable of winning. Your invitation has been attached to this letter. If you want to join hand the invitation to the Nurse Joy at the Indigo Plateau Pokémon centre. You have 1 week to decide._

_Scott_

_P.S Glad your still alive Ash. You were incredibly hard to track down. I hope to see you in the near future._

'So Master will you join?'

Ash looked at Lucario and the jackal saw a glint in his master's eye. It was a look that he hadn't been seen since they had taken down Team Rocket 4 years ago.

"Yes my friend we will join this tournament and we will win."

Ash heard his Pokémon approaching him it seems they had been listening the whole time. Meowth and Lucario joined the rest of his Pokémon. Ash looked at them with a genuine smile on his face.

"Everyone we have trained long and hard over the past 7 years. This tournament is the perfect opportunity for us to prove ourselves to the world and show those traitors who the pathetic weaklings really are. We will leave immediately and we will crush all who stand in our way."

They all roared in approval and some of them fired attacks into the air. Ash then rummaged through his backpack pulling out his Pokéballs and returned everyone except Charizard and Meowth. He let Meowth climb back on to his shoulder and he then jumped onto Charizard's back.

"Ok Charizard head straight to the Indigo Plateau."

Charizard fired a Flamethrower into the air then took off, flying off into the distance at an amazing speed.

Ash managed to get to the Indigo Plateau in no time at all due to the speed Charizard was flying at. When the Plateau came into sight Ash instructed Charizard to land in the wooded area to the south. The dragon nodded and landed in the middle of a clearing. Ash got off of Charizard and looked around, he decided this would be an excellent training area. It was deep in the woods so he shouldn't have to worry about being disturbed, it also had a natural spring which would be great for resting after training. Ash returned Charizard and began walking towards the Pokémon centre. He raised his hood and made sure that it was shrouding his face only because he really didn't feel like revealing that he was back yet.

As buildings came into sight Ash looked to Meowth who was sat on his shoulder.

"Meowth remember you can't talk in public. It could make people suspicious especially if the traitors hear you."

"Don't worry boss I know. Besides we can talk through Aura if we need to."

They continued on to the Pokémon centre. When they entered Ash scanned the room looking for anyone he knew and he immediately spotted one of the only people in the world who knew the real identity of Takeo Hayashi. He was a rather large man he had met several years ago when he challenged the Battle Frontier. Ash wasn't surprised to see that he was still wearing his customary sunglasses and Hawaiian shirt. Scott turned around when he heard the doors open and was pleased to see a man who wore a hooded cloak and carried a Meowth on his shoulder. He knew that he must be the man people have spent several years looking for. Scott excused himself from the conversation he was having with Brandon and walked up to Ash.

"Hello Takeo. It's been far too long. I'm glad you decided to compete."

"Well I couldn't turn down an opportunity on this grand occasion to prove those traitors wrong."

Scott nodded his head in agreement.

"Anyway I'd better go sign up for the tournament."

Scott placed a hand on Ash's spare shoulder stopping the cloaked trainer.

"Okay Takeo but I'd better come with you if you wanna keep you identity secret."

Ash nodded and walked with Scott to the main desk. Before Nurse Joy could speak Scott said. "Hello Nurse Joy this man would like to register for the tournament. You won't be needing to see his pokedex. His name is Takeo Hayashi." Ash breathed a sigh of relief. He hadn't known that he would have to hand in his Pokédex he just thought that the invitation would be enough.

Ash looked around the room and saw that several people in the Pokémon centre wore stunned expressions. They were amazed that Scott would do this for someone that nobody had heard of. The Frontier Brains were wearing similar expressions and were wondering just who this guy is and how Scott knew him. Determined to find out they walked towards the mysterious man who had turned his attention back to Nurse Joy. She tapped a few more keys on her keyboard and looked at Ash.

"Okay Mr Hayashi you are now registered. Here is your schedule for the first round."

"Thanks Nurse Joy." Ash took the schedule from Nurse Joy and then he then whispered to Scott. "And thank you for doing that. The last thing I wanted was for my identity to be revealed right now."

"Don't worry about it. After everything you've done for the world and everything you've been through I think you're owed the odd favour."

This earned a short chuckle from Ash.

"So Scott, aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?"

Ash and Scott turned to see 6 Frontier Brains with a 'you will tell us or else' look on their faces.

"Of course this is Takeo Hayashi. He is very good friend of mine who's been travelling around for the last few years helping the Pokémon Rangers."

Their eyes widened and their jaws dropped once hearing this as the Rangers were a very well respected organisation.

"And Takeo these are my Frontier Brains. We have Factory Head Noland, Arena Tycoon Greta, Dome Ace Tucker, Pike Queen Lucy, Palace Maven Spenser and Pyramid King Brandon."

Ash looked at the people he'd defeated years ago. He was surprised that they hadn't really changed over the past few years. He then realised something, "Wait a minute Scott I thought there was seven Frontier Brains. Where is Anabel the Salon Maiden?"

At the mention of her name all their shoulders slumped and their eyes were filled with sorrow. The change in attitude worried Ash.

"Hey did I say something wrong?"

Brandon spoke up "She's in her hotel room. She has not been the same the past seven years. Ever since Ash Ketchum's disappearance she fell into a deep depression and no one has been able to pull her out of it."

Ash didn't know he had been that important to her. They had gotten close after he had defeated Brandon as he had spent a couple of months with her before leaving for Sinnoh. The last time they had spoken had been just before he got on the boat to Sinnoh. He remembered that day vividly, he had almost confessed that he had fallen for her but his fear of rejection had stopped him. The thought that he had caused her so much pain saddened him.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when he heard Greta begin talking " I don't suppose you've seen him have you Takeo?" Ash looked at Scott, unsure of what to say.

"Yes, I met him a couple of years ago while I was training on Mount Coronet. We had a battle that I only just managed to win. I haven't heard from him since that day. I'm sorry I couldn't be more helpful."

Ash averted his gaze. He hated lying especially to those he had a great deal of respect for. But he had to, at least for now.

"That's okay Takeo at least we know that someone has seen him alive. I guess we should get back to our hotel rooms now, it's getting late." Brandon said, the other Brains agreeing some yawning to prove his point.

"You guys go ahead I've got to show Takeo to his hotel."

"Okay Scott see you later."

Ash and Scott watched the Brains leave, then Scott turned to Ash.

"Come on we can talk on the way to your hotel" Ash nodded and they walked outside going in the opposite direction to Brandon and the others.

"Scott, can you please tell me everything that's happened with Anabel since I left. I really am worried about her."

"Okay Takeo, but you have to tell me everything that happened 3 years ago with Team Rocket first. Because I know you had something to do with it and I certainly don't believe the bullshit the media came out with."

"Deal."

* * *

_Flashback (4 years ago)_

_After spending over a year scouring all 6 of the major regions for any Intel he could find on Team Rocket's hideout and the leader Giovanni. Now he had finally compiled enough Intel to mount an attack on Team Rocket and eliminate the criminal organisation. Ash stood outside the headquarters watching the grunts patrolling the building. He noticed that one of the guards would be out of sight when he got to an alcove in the building. Ash quietly moved into position and knocked out the guard stealing his uniform._

_Ash whispered to the cat beside him."Now Meowth do you remember the plan?"_

_"Yeah boss. You say dat you captured me and wanna take me to Giovanni so I can get a traitors punishment. "_

_"Ok let's do this." Ash walked up to the main gate Meowth trailing behind with his arms tied behind his back._

_"Halt who are you and what is your business?" the guard said in what he hoped was an intimidating voice._

_"I have captured that treacherous Meowth who quit Team Rocket. I wish to take him to Giovanni so he can dispose of him. I think he would be displeased if you refused to allow me entrance." The guard heard something through his ear piece, then immediately let the pair through. "Go down the main corridor and take the elevator to the top floor."_

_Ash nodded and walked inside dragging Meowth with him. The gate closed behind them and the duo were left on their own._

_"Man these guys are stupid, I can't believe they just let us through." Ash removed the binds on Meowth's arms and they kept to the shadows. Ash then began placing several explosives at structural weak points of the building._

_"That should be enough to take this building down, now let's go take down Giovanni and remove the threat of Team Rocket."_

_Ash and Meowth took the elevator to the top. When the doors opened they revealed a huge room that only had a desk with a computer on it and a Man sat behind it while he stroked the Persian that was sat by his side._

_"So Ketchum you finally got here, it took you long enough. You were let into the building almost an hour ago. Did you really think it would be that easy? You only got into this building because I wanted to crush you myself." Giovanni then began cackling._

_"Giovanni, Team Rocket will be disbanded this day and I swear that you will never harm another innocent again."_

_"Nice speech boy, now let's finish this." Giovanni threw 5 Pokéballs into the air, revealing a Rhyperior, Magnezone, Nidoking, Arcanine and a Machamp, his Persian then jumped down beside them and prepared for battle._

_"It's over for you Giovanni, come out my friends may the Aura be with you." Ash threw 5 Pokéballs into the air releasing Charizard, Lucario, Absol, Blastoise and Gardevoir, Meowth then stood in front of Persian ready to prove who the better cat was._

_"Rhyperior use Rock Wrecker on that overgrown lizard. Magnezone use Zap Cannon on Gardevoir. Nidoking use Mega Punch on Blastoise. Arcanine use Flamethrower on Absol. Machamp use Close Combat on Lucario and Persian you deal with the traitor." The Pokémon nodded and launched their attacks._

_"Charizard intercept Rhyperior with Flare Blitz then hit it with a Blast Burn. Gardevoir use Psychic to send the Zap Cannon back, then charge 2 Focus Blasts and obliterate that Magnezone. Blastoise use Iron Defence then use Hydro Spin. Absol charge through the flames and keep using Night Slash till it's down. Lucario use Elemental Combat to counter Machamp and Meowth you've got Persian."_

_Charizard surrounded himself in flames and charged towards the rampaging Rhyperior. When they clashed Rhyperior was gradually being pushed back then Charizard opened his mouth and hit Rhyperior with a full power Blast Burn. Rhyperior collapsed on the spot its body covered in burns._

_Gardevoir watched the ball of electricity hurtling towards her and just raised her arm stopping the ball inches in front of her and sent it back with twice the force giving Magnezone no time to the dodge. Magnezone crashed to the ground, the paralysis making it unable to move as Gardevoir lobbed the two Focus Blasts she had been charging at the defenceless Pokémon, taking Magnezone out of the fight._

_Nidoking ran towards Blastoise it's fist glowing white, while Blastoise merely stood there raising it's defence, the fist collided with the tortoise's shell and bounced off causing Nidoking to roar in pain and clutch his hand. Blastoise then withdrew into his shell began spinning and sent several blasts of water at Nidoking propelling it across the room and slamming it into the wall, it slumped to the ground unconscious._

_Arcanine stood and shot a Flamethrower at Absol who just ran straight through it seemingly unhindered. Arcanine was stunned when he saw the Absol in front of him and could do nothing as he was bombarded with slashes, he tried raising his paws in defence but was too slow, and was knocked out with cuts littering his body._

_Lucario's right fist cracked with electricity and his left was surrounded with flames, he charged at the fighting type before him and began his relentless assault. Machamp was on the defence from the start knowing he was completely outmatched, he tried throwing a punch at the Jackals head but missed and was hit by an incredible uppercut launching him into the air. Lucario then leapt above the fighting type and sent him plummeting to the ground with an Aura infused kick._

_Meowth and Persian were exchanging attacks, slashes being blocked by both. Meowth then jumped back firing a Thunder Pulse at Persian, the attack disoriented it, so Meowth took his opportunity to create a massive gash down the left side of Persian, which cried out in agony. _

_Giovanni growled in anger seeing his other Pokémon beaten so easily, he looked to the right and saw the cat's battling, cuts covered both their bodies and they both looked on the verge of fainting._

_"Persian destroy the traitor with Giga Impact!"_

_"Meowth show him a true Giga Impact."_

_The 2 cat's charged and a huge explosion blinded everyone. When they could see again Persian was in a heap on the ground, and Meowth was staggering in front of it, a grin plastered across his face. _

_Giovanni was speechless, he couldn't believe he had been beaten so easily. In a flash Ash appeared in front of the leader of Team Rocket, he had just enough time to mutter "oh shit." then Ash landed a punch to his stomach and an elbow to his neck, knocking him out. Ash went over to Giovanni's computer, hacked into the files and downloaded all the data on it, he then returned all his Pokémon and slung the unconscious Giovanni over his shoulder and got into the elevator travelling to the bottom floor. He walked out of the building being sure to avoid any grunts._

_Ash turned around pressed the button on the detonator in his hand and watched as the Team Rocket base collapsed. The noise caused by the explosions was deafening but Ash just stood there unfazed, smirking at his handiwork. He took the unconscious Giovanni to the nearest Police Station and left him and the data he had downloaded, with Officer Jenny._

_It was all over the news that the police had led a strike force against the Team Rocket Base capturing their leader, and scattering their forces. Giovanni was found guilty of several crimes to both humans and Pokémon thanks to the downloaded data and he was later imprisoned in a high security jail._

_End Flashback_

* * *

Ash decided to leave out the part about how he found an old friend trapped in what appeared to be a torture chamber or how that friend now resided in the Pokéball hanging from the necklace he wore. By the time Ash had finished the story they had reached his hotel.

"Well thanks for telling the truth about that Takeo. But I do have one question how did you knock out his Pokémon so easily?"

"It's simple really. He never trained his Pokémon the only Pokémon he had trained was his beloved Persian. The other 5 Pokémon were chosen for their intimidating appearance." Ash gave Scott a serious look. "I trust that you will keep this between us Scott I don't want this getting out to the media. Now I told you about Team Rocket so now I want to know about Anabel."

"Of course what you've told me will stay between us Takeo. As for Anabel, I think we should talk about this after your match tomorrow. I don't want anything to distract you." Ash nodded then realised what Scott had said.

"What do you mean 'my match tomorrow'?"

"The opening ceremony and the first round of the tournament are tomorrow."

"Wait the letter you sent me said I had a week." Ash was shocked by this, he was planning on getting some last minute training done before the tournament began.

"Well I wrote that message a little while ago and I kinda forgot to send it on time. Sorry about that." Scott said while looking quite embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it Scott. I'm just glad I decided to come here straight away."

"So am I. Well I've gotta get to my hotel. I'll see you tomorrow, meet me at the Pokémon centre after your match. Then we'll talk ok."

"Okay Scott see ya."

As soon as Scott was out of earshot Meowth decided to break the silence "Ha dat look on his face was priceless." The pair burst out laughing at the situation.

When they calmed down Ash walked inside the hotel, went to the desk and got his room key from the receptionist. He went upstairs eventually finding his room, he opened the door and marvelled at the huge room he had been given and saw the massive bed. He put his backpack on the floor then jumped onto the bed with Meowth curled up beside him and fell asleep.

As Ash slept a lilac haired woman is lying down on her bed in a hotel not even a mile away. She is crying into a pillow, a picture of the person she loves clutched to her chest and an Espeon lying next to her trying to offer some comfort. Between whimpers she managed a single sentence, "Ash where are you?"

* * *

The next day Ash woke up at the crack of dawn as usual. he yawned and stretched his limbs out. He went to his backpack and pulled out the spare set of clothes and the towel he kept in there and went into the bathroom. He came out 10 minutes later, fully dressed and ready to go. He walked over to his bed and nudged the sleeping cat eventually waking him up.

"Hey can't a cat get some sleep around here?" Meowth stood up and wiped the sleep from his eyes. "What time is it?"

"It's morning, and the tournament begins today. So we need to tell the other's about the change of plans."

"Ok let's go then." Meowth climbed up Ash's arm and took his usual place on his shoulder.

Ash then noticed a note on the floor, that must have been placed underneath the door during the night. Ash picked it up and began reading it.

_Dear Takeo_,

_I thought I should inform you that those from your past are here. Several of whom are competing in the tournament. Your old Pikachu is now being used by Max, I do not know how many of your other old Pokémon are owned by him or the other's._

_Good luck_

_Scott_

"Well it looks like we're gonna get our chance at vengeance. Charizard will be pleased."

Ash put on his cloak and raised the hood so his face was shrouded in darkness. He picked up his backpack and exited the hotel without seeing anyone, due to how early it was. He began walking towards the secluded area he had found yesterday. When they arrived Ash grabbed the poke balls out of his bag "Everyone come on out."

All of his Pokémon appeared in front of him. "Listen everyone, due to a minor mistake on Scott's part the tournament actually begins today not in a week's time. Also I have been informed that the traitors are here and some of them are competing." The Pokémon looked at each other with smirks on their faces glad they'd have a chance to destroy them.

Lucario spoke up "Master do you know who we are battling today?"

"Lucario I wish you'd stop calling me master, we are friends and equals. To answer your question no I haven't looked yet." Ash rummaged around in one of the inside pockets of his cloak and pulled out the crumpled schedule.

"It says we are fighting a guy called Ray Jones. The match starts at 10:30 which will be the first match after the opening ceremony. Well at least that gives us the rest of the day off."

Meowth decided to ask the question they all wanted to.

"So boss who ya choosing to use for the first battle?" Ash looked around at his Pokémon then made his decision.

"Butterfree you're up first." Butterfree cheered and Ash could him them saying "yes" and "in your face" several times. The rest of his Pokémon groaned. "Come on guys you'll all get to battle at some point. Don't worry Charizard I'm saving a certain yellow rat for you." A sinister grin was now on Charizard's face.

"Anyway guys we've got about 3 hours till we have to be at the opening ceremony, so just relax and have some fun." Just then a water gun hit Ash in the face, everyone snickered while Blastoise tried to look innocent, well as innocent as a Blastoise can look.

"Oh so that's how ya wanna play huh, well then take this." Ash threw an Aura sphere at the tortoise who just managed to dodge it. With a yell of Free-for-all they all charged in firing attacks at each other. After about an hour and a half of 'playing' they stopped and most of them sat down feeling completely exhausted. Ash went to his bag and pulled out the healing poultice he had created. He gave everyone some medicine and they got up good as new.

"Ok guys I'm gonna take you to the Pokémon centre. Then we'll wait in the stadium till the opening ceremony begins unless any of you would rather stay here."

Luxray, Milotic, Blastoise, Donphan, Tyranitar, Heliolisk, Primeape, Gardevoir and Absol all chose to stay. Milotic dove into the spring with Blastoise, Luxray and Absol found a shaded area and decided to rest there, Gardevoir appeared to be meditating and the others had all started battling again. Ash left the clearing and began walking to the Pokémon centre. When he entered the building he saw 7 people and 1 Pokémon that he hated almost as much as he hated Team Rocket. There was a redhead who was dragging a man who appeared to have no eyes by his ear while he proclaimed his love to Nurse Joy. A pair of Co-Ordinators were discussing contest moves. A boy stood with a yellow rat on his shoulder. While the grandson of Professor Oak was talking with the Pokémon Watcher.

Ash's eyes flickered blue as his anger started rising and his Aura began flaring. An Aura Sphere began to form in his hand but then he heard a baritone voice in his head. **"Calm down Ash. Attacking them will do nothing except blow your cover and potentially get you kicked out of the tournament. The best way to hurt them will be to defeat them in battle and crush their spirits."**

"Thank you for that my friend. You are right as usual." Ash's eyes returned to their usual brown colour.

Ash walked past the traitors and handed his Pokéballs and Meowth to Nurse Joy.

"Can you take a look at my Pokémon? We did some last minute training and I wanna make sure they are ready for battle."

"Ok take a seat, this should only take a few minutes."

Nurse Joy walked out the back with his Pokéballs leaving Ash alone with the traitors. Ash went and sat at the table that was furthest away from them. He sat there for what felt like an eternity listening to all the pointless bickering from the traitors, making him wonder how he ever put up with the idiots in the first place. Thankfully Nurse Joy walked out with a trolley filled with Pokéballs.

"Mr Maple, Mr Oak, Miss Waterflower and Mr Hayashi your Pokémon are now healed."

Ash walked up to the desk gathering his Pokéballs while Meowth jumped on his shoulder. Once he took the last of his Pokéballs he turned around and then barged past the traitors causing Max to hit the floor. Ash stopped as he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked at the owner and saw that it was May.

"Hey you jerk you better apologise to my brother."

Ash shrugged her hand off his shoulder and said.

"Make me."

Ash then saw a mallet coming his way. he took a step to the left and watched as Misty fell flat on her face.

"Where does she get that mallet from? Actually forget I asked I really don't think I wanna know." That caused Meowth to burst out laughing.

"Hey I don't want fighting in my Pokémon centre" by the tone in Nurse Joy's voice you could tell she was serious.

"I apologise Nurse Joy. I will be leaving now." with a bow Ash left and walked in the direction of the main stadium. Leaving 7 fuming people in the Pokémon centre.

* * *

Notes

Please give a review telling me what you liked/didn't like.

If you have any questions I am more than happy to answer them.

Combo Moves

Elemental Combat – Thunder Punch + Fire Punch + Close Combat

Thunder Pulse – Thunderbolt + Water Pulse

Hydro Spin – Hydro Pump + Rapid Spin


	2. The Tournament Begins

Thank you everyone who took the time to review. I really appreciate it.

**Warning this chapter contains a scene of self harm. A warning will be placed at the start and end of the scene so you know what to skip.**

Here's chapter 2 I hope you enjoy.

In conversations:

'- Translation of Poké Speech – No human unless otherwise stated can understand it. Ash can understand it due to his Aura.

"- Human speech

"**- Telepathy**

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

* * *

Ash walked to the main stadium with smug smile on his face. He had gotten some satisfaction from the fact that he had pissed his former friends off so easily.

With half an hour to spare Ash walked into the main stadium where the opening ceremony and his first round match were taking place. He looked around at the jam packed stadium looking for a secluded area where hopefully nobody would disturb him. He saw a spot on the back wall that was partially obstructed by a pillar. Since that was the only choice he had he went over and leant against the wall. He closed his eyes and blocked out all the mindless chit-chat so he could mentally prepare himself for the tournament. As he stood in silence he then heard a pair of familiar voices call out.

"Hey Takeo."

Ash opened his eyes and saw the two people he now saw as he best friends. The first was Richie Hiroshi who he had fought just over ten years ago in this very stadium and since that day they had been firm friends. As always Richie had his Raichu Sparky sat on his shoulder. The second person was Paul Shinji who Ash had met in Sinnoh. Paul had at first been incredibly cold and harsh to everyone whether they were humans or Pokémon But after meeting Ash he had lightened up a little. He still put up a harsh front to most people but he was unshakeably loyal to the few people he saw as friends.

Ash gave them both a quick bro shake."Hey guys. It's great to see you." He said.

"Well it's good to see that you decided to show up. I've been looking forward to a rematch." Paul replied.

"So have I." Richie added.

"Same here guys."

Ash then caught sight of his former friends walking into the stadium and the joy on his face faded. Paul and Richie looked in the same direction wondering what had caused this swing in emotion and saw them. They watched as Max led the group while they started pushing through the crowd. Ash relaxed when they were finally out of sight.

Richie placed a hand on Ash's shoulder. "You okay mate?"

"Yeah I'm fine thanks. I just can't wait to crush them." Paul and Richie nodded in understanding.

Ash decided to change the topic to something less grim."So what have you guys been up to since I last saw you?"

"Well I won the Silver Conference and Paul won the Lily of the Valley Conference. Neither of us really had much competition until we got to the final. Since you left the battling circuit has really gone downhill and there are very few challenging trainers out there."

"So did you challenge the Elites?"

"Yeah we beat the Elites but Lance and Cynthia beat us." Paul replied sounding disappointed.

"Well this could be your chance to get another shot at them."

Richie and Paul nodded. Sparky then noticed something happening on the stage. He tapped Richie's shoulder and pointed to the stage. Richie looked at where Sparky was pointing and saw a man walking on to the stage

"Hey guys it looks like the ceremony is beginning." All of them turned their attention to the stage. They saw Charles Goodshow going to the mic. He took it out and started talking

"Attention all, welcome to the Championship of Legends. You have all been chosen to compete in this tournament where the greatest trainer in the world will be decided. Here to explain the rules is the defending Champion, Lance." The Dragon Tamer stepped up.

"Thank you Mr Goodshow. In Round one all the competitors except the members of the Battle Frontier, the Gym Leaders, the Elite Four from each region and the Champions compete. In Round two the people mentioned before will start competing. The rest of the tournament follows the standard elimination rules. The winner of the tournament will not only be given the title of being the best Pokémon trainer in the world. He or she will also be made Champion of Kanto and be allowed to create their own Elite Four."

This gained Ash's attention "Well this tournament just got a lot more interesting." The other's nodded in agreement.

"Now let's get the tournament under way. Will Ray Jones and Takeo Hayashi please come to the battlefield."

Ash pushed himself off the wall."Well that's my cue. I'll see you guys later."

"Hey you'd better not lose Takeo only I'm allowed to eliminate you." Paul grinned while saying this.

Ash chuckled. "You and Richie better not lose either."

With that Ash walked up to his trainer box across from his opponent.

"On the red side we have Ray Jones." The crowd let out a loud cheer and a massive round of applause. "And on the green side we have Takeo Hayashi." The stadium suddenly went silent as everyone looked at the hooded man wondering who he actually was. "The random generator shall select the rules for this battle."

Everyone watched the massive screen as it displayed the various rules of battle. The screen finally chose a set of rules.

"This will be single battle where both trainers can use three Pokémon No substitutions are allowed however moves such as Volt Switch and U-Turn are legal. Red side choose your Pokémon."

Ray pulled a Pokéball off his belt. "You don't stand a chance, you might as well give up now."

Ash merely yawned in response which angered Ray.

"You're up Flareon." The fire Eeveelution came out and took up a battle stance.

Ash smirked. "Butterfree may the Aura guide you."

Butterfree came out in a flash. 'I'm ready Ash.'

Up in the stands a certain yellow Pokémon eyes widened in shock. He was certain he heard that Butterfree call his trainer Ash. Maybe it was just someone else called Ash but Pikachu had to admit that something about the Butterfree seemed familiar. Then again Ash released his Butterfree a long time ago and he wouldn't catch another one or would he? Pikachu put a paw to his head as he felt like his head was gonna explode due to thinking about all of the possibilities. Max looked at Pikachu and was worried to see his top battler holding his head and appearing to be deep in thought.

"Hey Pikachu, you okay?" Max asked.

Pikachu just nodded hoping that would show he was fine which Max seemed to accept.

* * *

Back on the battlefield Ray and his Flareon were laughing. "You're actually choosing a pathetic bug to fight my Flareon. You must have bought your way into this tournament."

This infuriated Butterfree. 'Ash let's crush this guy.'

"Well ladies first. So go ahead Ray." This made Meowth and Butterfree snicker and caused Ray to see red.

"Nobody mocks me. Flareon roast that bug with Flamethrower."

"Butterfree use Double Team to dodge."

Flareon shot a powerful stream of flames at Butterfree but was shocked to see that his attack passed straight through. Flareon looked around confusedly at the dozens of copies that now surrounded him. He tried to identify which one was the real Butterfree but all of the copies were identical.

Ray growled in frustration. "Flareon use Flamethrower until you get rid of all the copies."

Ash smirked. "Butterfree dive down to dodge then use Psychic to throw Flareon into the wall."

Flareon shot several more bursts of flames at the Butterfree surrounding him and gradually eliminated some of the copies. Suddenly the real Butterfree dived under a Flamethrower headed straight for him and his eyes glowed blue. A similar blue glow then appeared around Flareon who was lifted in the air and was slammed into the stadium wall. Ash and Butterfree were feeling smug as they watched Flareon slowly walk back on to the battlefield and stand in front of Ray. However the Eeveelution's legs were wobbling and it was clearly taking a great deal of effort to stay on his feet.

Ray growled in annoyance. He couldn't believe that he was being beaten by a bug.

"Flareon full power Fire Blast" He yelled angrily.

"Hyper Beam" Ash said in a calm voice.

Flareon released a powerful stream of flames which took the shape of the kanji and it shot straight at Butterfree. In return Butterfree formed an orange orb in front of himself and shot a massive orange beam from it. To almost everyone's surprise Butterfree's Hyper Beam cut straight through the Fire Blast and hit Flareon causing a huge explosion which left Flareon unconscious in a huge crater. The stadium was silent they were all astonished that a bug Pokémon had just easily beaten a fire type without taking a hit.

"Flareon is unable to battle. Red side choose your next Pokémon"

The crowd snapped out of their shock and the stadium erupted with cheers. This made Ray growl angrily as he saw several of his fans also cheering.

"That was just luck, it won't happen a second time. Onix let's crush this bug." he threw his Pokéball in the air and released the giant rock worm.

"Onix use Iron Tail on the ground then use Rock Throw."

The rock worms tail turned metallic and he slammed his tail into the ground. The power of the attack destroyed the flat surface of the battlefield and turned it into into a pile of rubble. Onix saw some larger pieces that were more like boulders remained so he wrapped his tail around them and threw the rocks at Butterfree.

"Use Protect to stop the boulders. Then form an Energy Ball and a Shadow Ball and use Gust to launch them at Onix."

Butterfree hovered in place and watched the boulders that were speeding towards him. When the rocks were mere inches away Butterfree created a shield in front of him that caused the boulders to ricochet off it and crash to the ground. Butterfree then formed an orb of green energy and an orb of black energy and launched them at Onix while flapping his wings incredibly fast to speed them up. The orbs rocketed into Onix which made the rock worm let out a loud roar in pain. Everyone continued to watch Onix who swayed from side to side until he finally keeled over and slammed on to the battlefield causing a massive tremor. Onix crashing to the ground created a massive dust cloud that covered the battlefield. Butterfree used gust again to clear the dust away which revealed Onix who was unconscious.

"Onix is unable to battle, red side choose your last Pokémon"

Ray signed sadly. It was obvious this Hayashi guy was far more powerful than him but he wouldn't go down without a fight.

"Hayashi. I know I can't win but I'm not giving up. Skarmory let's do this"

The steel and flying type screeched as it appeared causing many of the audience to cover their ears in an attempt to block out the painful sound.

"Skarmory use Steel Wing."

"Match him Butterfree."

Butterfree's wings turned metallic and Skarmory's wing shimmered. They both flew forward and sparks flew as their metallic wings collided. They kept clashing but neither of them were seeming to gain an advantage. Ash seeing that this was getting nowhere came up with a new strategy.

"Butterfree disengage and use Ominous Silver Wind." Ash said.

After one more clash of wings Butterfree broke away from Skarmory and began flapping his wings sending a dark wind which had some silver dust at Skarmory. The attack stopped Skarmory who had been aiming another Steel Wing at Butterfree and gradually pushed him back.

"Skarmory break through and use Brave Bird."

Skarmory used all of his strength to struggle through Butterfree's attack. Once he got through the wind he began tucked in his wings and shot at Butterfree.

"Wait for it Butterfree... wait for it.. now use Electroweb."

When Skarmory was no more than a metre away Butterfree fired a net of electricity at him. The net trapped Skarmory and repeatedly shocked him. Skarmory to break out of the net but the harder he struggled the worse the shocks got. His attempts to escape were futile and eventually the amount of damage he had taken made him pass out and he began to falling to the ground at a very high speed. Ray had a horrified look on his face as he watched his Pokémon plummet towards the destroyed battlefield.

"SKARMORY!" Ray yelled out in fear for his Pokémon. He took Skarmory's Pokéball off his belt and tried to return him but he kept missing his target. Skarmory was moving so fast that it was incredibly hard to judge where to aim.

"Butterfree quick use Psychic and lower Skarmory to the ground."

Butterfree's eyes glowed blue and a similar glow surrounded Skarmory which froze him in mid air mere inches away from the jagged rocks. Butterfree gently placed Skarmory on the ground next to Ray who quickly returned him. Butterfree then floated down and landed on Ash's shoulder. The bug was panting heavily mostly due to him having to use a massive amount of power to catch Skarmory. Ash thanked him for his hard work and returned him to his poke ball.

"Skarmory is unable to battle. Ray Jones is out of Pokémon so the winner is Takeo Hayashi."

Ray walked over to Ash and offered his hand. Ash shook Ray's hand and applause rang out from around the stadium at seeing such sportsmanship between the trainers.

"Thanks for saving Skarmory and I'm sorry for insulting you and your Butterfree."

"Don't worry about it I'm just glad Skarmory is okay."

Meanwhile up in the stands there were seven people who looked on angrily.

"I can't believe that jerk won!" Max yelled

May wrapped an arm around her brothers shoulders. "Don't worry Max you'll take him down I know it." May said.

Max looked around and everyone was nodding as they agreed with May. Pikachu though wasn't paying attention to any of that. He was sat there stunned at what he had just witnessed. Wondering that if that really was Ash Ketchum then what on Earth had happened to him in the last seven years. He shook his head banishing the thought. He would have to think about this more later as Max has a match in an hours time and he needed to be focussed and ready for battle.

* * *

Meanwhile up in the V.I.P box, the Gym Leaders, Elite Four, Champions and Frontier Brains were amazed at what they had just witnessed. It was very rare that such dominance would be seen at a tournament as prestigious as this. That was certainly a good demonstration that this tournament wouldn't be a cakewalk for them especially if they had to fight against Takeo. The reigning champion Lance felt someone nudge him, he looked and saw Steven the Hoenn Champion.

"It seems we may have some competition." Steven said. Lance just nodded in response.

While everyone else was discussing what they had just seen Scott watched Ash walk out of the stadium and remembered he had promised to meet him up at the Pokémon Centre. He looked at Anabel and saw her staring off into the distance, the sad look in her eyes broke Scott's heart. Greta was sat next to Anabel looking sadly at her. Scott placed a hand on Greta's shoulder. The Arena Tycoon turned to look at Scott.

"I need you to come with me."

"Why?" Greta asked confusedly.

Scott replied by looking at Anabel. Greta understood what Scott was implying. She tapped Anabel on the shoulder. Anabel was brought back from wherever she had gone and looked at Greta.

"Hey Anabel Scott needs my help with something. Will you be okay?"

Anabel shrugged lazily. "I guess." She said and then went back to staring into space.

Greta got up and took one last look at Anabel before following Scott out of the V.I.P box.

"So Scott what do you need me for?" Greta asked

"Well Takeo was concerned about Anabel after what Brandon said yesterday. He asked about her and I promised Takeo that I'd tell him about Anabel's behaviour over the last 7 years. I truly think he can help her but he needs all the facts before he tries helping her and you know some things that I don't." Greta nodded with a pained look in her eyes.

Meanwhile Ash walked out of the stadium and saw Richie and Paul waiting for him.

"Great job Takeo." Richie said with a great deal of enthusiasm, clapping him on the back.

"Yeah not bad Hayashi." Paul said.

"Thanks guys. So when are your matches starting?"

"I'm up in an hour in stadium three." Richie replied.

"I'm battling in stadium two in half an hour."

"So now that you've got the rest of the day off what are you going to do?" Richie asked.

"I've got an important meeting with Scott. So how about I call your Pokénav's when I'm done and we can meet up?"

"Sounds good to me." Richie said.

"Yeah what he said." Paul said with his usual enthusiasm, though he was smirking as he said it.

After exchanging their numbers they went their separate ways. Richie and Paul went towards the stadiums they were competing in and Ash walked towards the Pokémon Centre to get Butterfree healed.

* * *

Ash walked into the Pokémon Centre and saw Scott and Greta sat in the corner. He went up to Nurse Joy and handed Butterfree's Pokéball to her and then walked over to Scott and Greta and sat down.

"Hey Scott. What's Greta doing here?"

"Well she has some important information you need to know Takeo."

Ash looked to Greta wondering what she could know that is so crucial but he wasn't going to question Scott. "Okay, well once Butterfree's healed we can go."

The trio sat in silence for a few moments as they waited for Nurse Joy to return.

"Mr Hayashi your Butterfree is fully healed."

Ash got up and walked up to the desk. He took Butterfree's Pokéball

"Thank you for healing Butterfree."

"I'm happy to help your Pokémon"

"By the way when can I expect my schedule for the next round?"

"Well due to the large number of contestants in the tournament Round one takes two days. So come back in a couple of days and your next opponent will have been chosen."

"Okay." Ash turned around and looked at Scott. "Let's go."

Scott nodded and led the trio out of the Pokémon centre. Once outside Ash looked at Meowth and handed him all his Pokéballs except for Charizard's.

"Can you take them to the others so they can relax." Meowth nodded and went off into the forest.

"Alright Takeo we'll talk in my hotel room. We won't have to worry about anyone overhearing us and we won't be interrupted."

The group walked back to the hotel. No words were said on the way making the walk feel quite uncomfortable. They entered the building and took the lift to the top floor. Once at the top they walked down the corridor and arrived at Scott's room. He opened the door and they all took a seat. Ash looked expectantly at Scott and Greta and could tell that whatever had happened in the past seven years must be bad.

"So Scott please can you tell me everything that's happened in the past seven years from the very beginning? And please don't leave anything out."

"Okay Takeo. It all started on the day of Ash Ketchum's disappearance. Anabel had come to me that morning asking if she could close the Battle Tower for a few days. When I asked why she said that she wanted to go to Pallet Town to see Ash. I obviously allowed her to go. I had a hunch that she was intending to tell Ash how she felt about him." Ash looked down and felt guilt gnawing at him. He had one thought going through his head 'it's all my fault'.

"She thanked me repeatedly and left with a huge smile plastered across her face. That's the last time I saw that smile. She came back a few hours later in tears." Ash could see Scott was finding it hard speaking about this.

"I could see how heartbroken she was so I decided to shut down the Battle Tower temporarily. Any challengers were just sent to Brandon instead. I couldn't leave her on her own in the state she was in so I escorted her home and stayed the night. I don't know how long I sat there trying to comfort her until she eventually cried herself to sleep."

Scott exhaled. He didn't think it would be this hard for him to tell Ash about this. But it was proving to be by far the hardest thing he had ever done. He glanced at Greta and wondered how on Earth Greta would cope with telling her part. Scott cleared his thoughts and carried on.

"When she woke up the next morning she said she was going to try to find Ash. Before I had a chance to stop her she was gone. She ended up spending a week searching Kanto for him before she came home."

Ash couldn't believe it, he had only stayed in Vermillion City for a couple of days to pick up Squirtle and Primeape before going back to Sinnoh. He started wondering how different things would have been if he had just stayed a few days longer.

"Reluctantly she agreed to stop looking in Kanto. But she was determined to go to the other regions which worried me as she knew next to nothing about the other regions so there was no telling what could happen to her. Luckily I was able to convince her to not do it by promising her that I'd call in several favours from people throughout the six regions and see if they could find him. "

"But they couldn't." Ash said solemnly.

"No, they searched for months trying to track him down. But no trace of him could be found."

Ash remembered how much effort he had put into covering his tracks. During that time he didn't want to be found, he was in a very bad place due to the soul crushing betrayal. He just wanted some solitude as he tried to deal with his problems.

"Anabel started blocking everyone out. It started with her missing meetings, then she was turning down invites to go out with all the other Brains and eventually she had completely locked herself away in her home. It was like this for three months and everyday at least one of us would visit and try to get her to talk to us. But everyday all we got was silence." Scott paused.

"What happened after the three months?" Ash asked.

"We were all amazed when out of the blue she began coming to meetings again and she even re-opened the Battle Tower. She'd put on fake smiles around us thinking we wouldn't notice, but we did. We also noticed how she was always wearing outfits with long sleeves even in hot weather. At first we thought nothing of it as she usually dressed that way in the past." Scott now had his head in his hands and tears were leaking from his eyes.

Ash was terrified at what he was hearing. He was praying to Arceus and anyone else listening that they weren't about to say what he thought they were.

Scott looked at Greta "Can you please tell him what you saw that day Greta?" She nodded, but was clearly struggling to keep her composure.

* * *

**WARNING SCENE OF SELF HARM BEGINS NOW!**

_Flashback (Approx six years ago)_

_Greta is walking to Anabel's house to check on her. All of the Frontier Brains and Scott did this on a regular basis to see how she was. Recently she had started to open up a bit but there were many days that she would completely ignore them. Greta arrived at Anabel's house and knocked on the door but got no response. She turned the doorknob and found that the door was unlocked. She walked inside and could hear that Anabel was sobbing upstairs. She grabbed a Pokéball just in case a robber had broken in and was hurting her._

_Greta walked upstairs as quietly as possible and it seemed that Anabel's sobs were was coming from the bathroom. She slowly opened the door and what she saw made her retch. Anabel was stood at the sink with a knife in her right hand that had blood dripping from it. The blood had made a pool of red on the counter which was mixing with the tears that were streaming down her face. Blood was also slowly seeping out of the long gash on her left arm. _

_Greta let out a horrified gasp at the scene. Anabel heard the gasp and turned to Greta. The Frontier Brains stood looking at each other and time seemed to stand still. Suddenly Anabel dropped the knife which clattered in the basin and her eyes rolled back as she fell forwards. Greta was quick to react and luckily caught her before she crashed to the floor. Greta carried the limp Anabel to the nearest bedroom and placed her on the bed. She went back to the bathroom to get some medical supplies and bandaged Anabel's arm to the best of her ability. After washing the blood off her hands Greta pulled her Pokénav out of her pocket and called Scott._

_Scott picked up his Pokénav "Hi Greta what's up?" He said._

_"I-i-it's Anabel, Scott y-y-y-you gotta get here NOW!"_

_Scott was worried as Greta was not one to stumble over her words unless something was seriously wrong._

_Hang on I'll be there in a minute." Scott said in a panicked voice._

_A few minutes later Greta heard a car screech to a stop outside. Scott ran into the house. _

_"Greta where are you?" Scott yelled._

_"I-i-i'm up here Scott i-in Anabel's room." She stuttered._

_Scott bounded up the stairs and burst into the room. He only had to look at the bandage on her left arm and the marks littering her right to know what had happened._

_"Oh no. Oh dear Arceus no." Scott said as he walked to the bed and took a closer look at the damage Anabel had done to herself. Greta stood next to Scott and both of them wondered how it had come to this._

_"What do we do Scott?" Greta asked._

_"I don't know Greta. I really don't know."_

_Flashback over_

**SCENE OF SELF HARM ENDED**

* * *

Greta had broken down and was now wailing. Scott was hugging her tightly in an attempt to calm her down.

"After that we made her see a specialist. We also made sure either myself or one of the Frontier Brains was with her at all times. This went on for a couple of years until the specialist said that since she hadn't tried anything she was allowed to be left on her own again. However Greta and I checked her a few times a week to make sure she didn't start again."

Scott stopping talking and the only thing that could be heard were Greta's muffled sobs. Ash fell to his knees and pounded the floor as tears streamed down his cheeks. He hadn't cried since that day seven years ago as he had managed to keep his emotions in check. But now he just couldn't stop crying at the fact that one of his worst nightmares had now become a reality.

"It's all my fault. It's all my fucking fault." Ash said not caring if Greta found out who he was. After what he had just heard the only thing that mattered to Ash was Anabel.

Hearing this confused Greta. "Scott why is Takeo blaming himself?" She asked between sobs.

Scott saw no reason to lie to Greta. "Because Takeo is Ash Ketchum."

Greta's eyes widened and then she realised why Scott had said only Takeo could help Anabel. Suddenly Ash got to his feet and looked straight at Scott.

"Where's Anabel's room?" Ash asked.

"Ash maybe you should calm down first before you confront Anabel. Besides she'll still be at the stadium watching the first round with the others." Scott said trying to reason with Ash.

After giving it a moments thought Ash reluctantly agreed with Scott and started to calm himself down. Although he wanted to see Anabel he knew that if she saw him in this state it would be more likely to scare her than comfort her.

"When will she get back?" Ash asked in as calm a tone as he could manage.

"The first round matches end in about an hour. So she should be back in an hour and a half." Scott said relieved that Ash had chosen to take his advice.

Greta wiped the remaining tears out of her eyes and got up from her seat. She walked over to Ash and punched him. "Listen you bastard you better fix this otherwise there will be nowhere for you to hide from me." Ash rubbed his cheek and nodded.

"Scott I'm gonna head to my room and try to get some sleep. Bringing up these horrid memories has left me feeling exhausted." Scott nodded and Greta left the room leaving Ash and Scott alone.

Scott looked at Ash and saw that he was still staring at the ground. The look in his eyes and his general posture showed that he was feeling incredibly guilty. Scott sat down next to Ash and placed a hand on his shoulder making Ash turn his attention to Scott.

"Ash stop blaming yourself. There is no way any of us could have foreseen this."

"But I should have gone to her or someone else I trusted first and told them what happened. Instead I just ran away and didn't take into account other peoples feelings."

"Ash in hindsight yes you probably should have. But you were in a very dark place after the incident seven years again. Anyway the past doesn't matter now, the only thing that matter's now is what you are going to do to make things right."

"Ok Scott. Hey do you mind if I stay in here and take a nap until Anabel gets back?"

"Sure Ash. I think Greta had the right idea about getting some sleep. Don't worry I'll make sure to wake you up when Anabel gets back."

"Thanks Scott." Ash said then he lied down and fell asleep.

* * *

Time skip (an hour and a half)

Scott heard a door slam shut down the hall and he was certain it was Anabel's. He walked over to the sleeping Ash and shook the sleeping trainer. "Ash wake up. I think Anabel's back."

Ash shot up. "What room is she in?" He asked.

"She's in room three four eight." Scott replied.

Ash walked to the door suddenly feeling very nervous. He opened the door and looked back at Scott.

"Okay Scott thanks. Wish me luck."

"Good luck Ash." Scott said as Ash walked out the door with his hood up.

"Please bring Anabel back to us." He murmured once Ash was out of earshot.

Ash walked down the hall and found room three four eight. He knocked on the door.

"Anabel are you in there?" Ash asked

He heard an annoyed huff from inside the room and then he heard footsteps approaching the door.

"Who's asking?" Anabel asked in an irritated voice.

"Er if you don't mind I'd rather say this to your face than say it to a door."

Anabel let out another annoyed huff and opened the door but she did keep the chain lock on just in case he was dangerous. When the door was open Anabel looked confusedly at the mysterious hooded man then she remembered the first match of the day.

"You're that Hayashi guy that everyone is talking about. Why are you here?"

Ash looked down the hall and saw nobody so he lowered his hood. Anabel gasped and her eyes widened, she knew those eyes and that hair could only belong to one person. "Ash is it really you?" She asked hopefully.

Ash smiled. "Yes Anabel it's me."

* * *

Notes

Please give a review telling me what you liked/didn't like.

If you have any questions I am more than happy to answer them.

Combo Moves

Ominous Silver Wind – Ominous Wind + Silver Wind


	3. Ash & Anabel Together At Last

Thank you everyone who took the time to review. I really appreciate it.

Here's chapter 3 I hope you enjoy.

In conversations:

'- Translation of Poké Speech – No human unless otherwise stated can understand it. Ash can understand it due to his Aura.

"- Human speech

"**- Telepathy**

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

* * *

Anabel stood looking at the man she that had dominated her thoughts for the past seven years and a small smile crept on to her face as tears formed in her eyes.

"So Anabel can I come in?" Ash asked.

Anabel quickly took the chain lock off and opened the door fully. With the barrier between them gone Ash walked forward and wrapped his arms around her. Anabel lost control of her emotions and she began sobbing into his shirt as she let out seven years of misery. She clung on to him tightly fearing that if she let go of him he would vanish. Ash rubbed her back trying to soothe her and gently manoeuvred them inside so they could have some privacy. They sat down on the couch and Ash tightened his grip on Anabel hoping that it would help calm her down and prove to her that he was really here for her. After ten minutes of crying Anabel's sobs gradually lessened until they became quiet whimpers.

"A-Ash I m-m-missed you s-s-so much." She said between whimpers.

Ash tilted her chin up and wiped away her tears with his thumb.

"I missed you too Anabel. Not a day went by where I didn't think of you."

Anabel blushed and rested her head on Ash's shoulder just happy that he was here. She felt safe in his arms and wanted to stay like this for as long as possible. However she broke out of his embrace when she felt Ash place a hand on the sleeve of her shirt. She began panicking as he started to slide the sleeve up. Anabel quickly stopped him from revealing what she had done by placing her hand on his. Ash looked into her eyes and saw that they were full of fear and regret.

"Please Anabel I have to see this for myself."

Anabel reluctantly took her hand off Ash's. She quickly looked away not wanting to see the disgusted look she assumed Ash would have on his face once he sees what she has done. Ash slowly slid her right sleeve up and was horrified to see a series of scars. Tears formed in Ash's eyes as he looked at what Anabel had done to herself because of him.

"This is all my fault." Ash said guiltily.

Ash's reaction surprised Anabel. She was expecting to hear several comments on how revolted he was. As her mind raced at what happened she suddenly felt little drops of water landing on her right arm. She looked back to Ash and saw that it was his tears that were dripping on to her arm. Anabel placed her hands on his face and made him look at her. The look in his eyes made her start crying again. There was no disgust in his eyes only guilt, shame and something else that she couldn't quite place. They embraced again and cried for a couple of minutes until they calmed down. Ash pulled back and after sliding her other sleeve up he held Anabel's bare arms. She looked confusedly at Ash who gave her a small smile.

"Trust me." He whispered.

Anabel nodded and watched as Ash's hands began to glow blue. The glow then shot from his hands and surrounded her arms. Anabel winced as she felt a little bit of pain but before she knew it the pain had gone and the glow surrounding her arms had now vanished. Wondering what Ash had done she looked at her arms and what she saw stunned her. She sat there staring at her arms which were now completely smooth there wasn't a mark to be seen. She ran her hands along her skin and found that it was as smooth as it looked. It was if the scars had never been there. She glanced back at Ash quizzically.

"It's not possible." She whispered.

"It is possible Anabel due to my Aura. You see Anabel Aura truly is an amazing thing I can use it for several purposes from creating spheres for attacking to healing even the the most grievous wound. So I just used a bit of healing Aura to erase the scars. After all I couldn't let your beautiful skin be marred by scars."

Anabel blushed at the compliment and looked down hoping that Ash wouldn't see her burning cheeks. Ash smiled at her reaction and decided that it was time for him to come clean and do something he should have done seven years ago.

"Hey do you remember the time we spent together after I beat Brandon?" Ash asked.

"Of course I remember. Those were the most amazing months of my life." Anabel replied happily.

Ash smiled again and took Anabel's hands in his.

"They were the most amazing months of my life as well. The day that I got on that boat to Sinnoh it was the worst day of my life even worse than my former friends betrayal. Standing on the deck of the ship and watching you fade from my sight broke my heart. Once you were out of my sights I felt as if a part of me had been ripped away."

Anabel looked straight up into Ash's eyes and hope flooded through her.

"Anabel since that day I have never felt complete. I should have come back sooner but I was afraid that you'd hate me for being gone for so long. But now that I'm back I can't imagine my life without you. I love you Anabel with all my heart and soul. "

Anabel felt like her heart was gonna burst out of her chest. She couldn't believe that the man she loved felt the same way.

"Ash I love you too." She declared

Before Ash could reply Anabel pushed her lips against his putting all the love she had for him into it. Ash was at first surprised but he quickly returned the kiss. Neither of them wanted the kiss to end but the need for air forced them to brake apart. While they sat and refilled their lungs with air they gazed at each other and blushed furiously. Anabel leaned her head on Ash's shoulder again

"Ash promise me you'll never leave me again. I can't survive without you."

"I promise that I will stay by your side for the rest of our lives. I couldn't live without you by my side."

The pair spent the next few hours talking. Ash told her about taking down Team Rocket. The revelation didn't surprise her the idea of the police doing anything along the lines of what they claimed is laughable. In return Anabel reluctantly told Ash that she had gotten the first of her scars after Gary and Max had challenged her for the Ability Symbol and had constantly bad mouthed Ash during the matches. Somehow she managed to compose herself enough to win both matches but afterwards she had gone home and after crying for what felt like hours she cut herself for the first time.

The couple lost track of time completely and it wasn't until Anabel yawned that they noticed how late it had gotten. Ash picked her up bridal style which made Anabel blush and took her to the bedroom. He placed her on bed and pulled the quilt up to cover her. After giving her a quick kiss on her forehead he turned around and was about to leave when he heard the covers moving. He glanced back and saw Anabel sitting up looking at him

"Where are you going?" Anabel asked wearily.

"I was gonna go sleep on the couch." Ash stated.

"Please don't leave me alone." Anabel pleaded.

Ash couldn't deny her so he took off his cloak and placed it over the door. He climbed into the bed and pulled Anabel to him. She snuggled into the comforting embrace and quickly fell to sleep. Ash stayed awake for a couple minutes before joining her in slumber.

* * *

The next morning Ash woke up bright and early as usual. He opened his eyes and looked at Anabel who was still sleeping and smiled at the peaceful look on her face. After a few minutes he saw her eyes flicker open and he was instantly memorized by her gorgeous lilac eyes. He gently pushed his lips against hers.

"Good morning beautiful." He said.

Anabel smiled. "I thought last night was a dream."

"Nope. I'm afraid you're stuck with me." Ash said jokingly.

"I think I can live with that."

"Good because I'm never leaving you again."

The couple laid in silence just enjoying being in each other's arms.

"Ash we should probably get up." Anabel said breaking the silence.

"Yeah I guess you're right." Ash replied.

She nodded in response and they got out of the bed.

"Hey I've got to go pick up some stuff from my hotel room. So how about you meet me outside the Pokémon Centre in an hour?" Ash asked.

"I wish I could Ash but I have to watch the rest of the first round matches." Anabel said sadly.

"Don't worry about it. I'll come back here at about five o'clock."

"That's great I'll see you later."

Anabel turned towards the bathroom but before she could take a step Ash pulled Anabel to him and gave her a quick kiss making both trainers blush. They reluctantly broke apart and Anabel went to get prepared for the day while Ash got his cloak and put it on making sure his hood was up. Ash left the bedroom and walked to the front door. He opened the door and saw Scott and the other Brains stood outside presumably here to collect Anabel to take her to the stadium for today's matches.

Ash's mind went blank as he looked at the confused Brains. "Uh. Hi guys." He said awkwardly.

Five of the Frontier Brains looked at him wondering why the hell was Takeo was in Anabel's room. "Hi Takeo. What er, what are you doing here?" Brandon asked.

Ash debated whether or not to tell them the truth or not. After a bit of thought he finally decided that he could trust them. To the Frontier Brains surprise he lowered his hood which caused five of the people to gasp and their eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. They stood in silence for a few minutes as they tried to form a coherent sentence. Scott and Greta pushed past the other Brain's and stood in front of Ash.

"So Ash how's Anabel? Scott asked.

Ash was about to respond when he felt a pair of arms wrap around him tightly. He shifted his body so that he could return the embrace and keep looking at Scott.

"I'm much better thank you." Anabel replied.

Scott and Greta were amazed at the massive smile on Anabel's face. Anabel then looked at her fellow Brain's.

"Morning guys. How are you?" She said brightly.

"We're fine thanks." Greta said.

"You have no idea how good it is to finally see you smiling." Scott added.

"Thanks Scott."

Greta then noticed that Anabel was for the first time in about six years wearing a short sleeved shirt. What made her eyes widen was that the scars that had littered her arms had vanished even the long deep one on her left arm was gone. Greta grabbed Anabel's left arm and closely inspected it and then ran her hand along it thinking that it was some kind of visual trick but was amazed to find that her skin was completely smooth exactly how it was seven years ago. She looked up at Anabel in utter disbelief.

"Anabel what happened to your arms?" Greta asked.

The other Brains were broken out of their shock and looked at Anabel's arms. Their eyes widened even further when they saw her scar free arms. Everyone looked expectantly at Anabel.

"Well Ash used his Aura to heal the scars." She replied.

The astonished Brains turned their gaze to Ash who simply smirked back at them. Seeing that he wouldn't get any intelligent response from them any time soon Ash thought that now would be the best time to leave.

"Alright Anabel I'll see you later okay." Ash gave Anabel a peck on the cheek making her blush and then walked passed the still stunned Brains. He made sure his hood was back up and took the elevator to the ground floor and left the hotel. He shielded his eyes as the sun momentarily blinded him. He considered letting Charizard out to fly back to his hotel but chose to walk since it was such a beautiful day.

Back outside Anabel's room The Frontier Brains were still stood in silence. They weren't sure what had shocked them most Ash's reappearance, Anabel genuinely smiling or the fact that her scars had been healed by Ash. Scott and Greta looked at Anabel with smiles on their faces. They were overjoyed that Anabel seemed to be better already although they both noticed how her shoulders had slumped after Ash left. Scott placed a hand on Anabel's shoulder making the Salon Maiden look up at him. Scott gave her a small smile.

"Anabel you've got the day off. Go spend time with Ash." Scott pretty much commanded.

Anabel looked at Scott. "Really?" She asked hopefully.

"Sure Anabel. Try going to the Elenion hotel first as that as where he is staying."

"Now go have fun with your boyfriend." Greta added.

Anabel blushed at Greta's comment and quickly made her escape leaving Scott and Greta to explain everything to the other Frontier Brains.

Anabel left the hotel and stated walking towards the Elenion when she spotted Ash in the distance. She considered calling out to him but had a different idea. She quietly caught up to him and wrapped her arms around him. Ash was slightly started by the action. He looked back and saw Anabel smiling at him. She loosened her grip on Ash allowing him to turn around and pull her into a tight embrace.

"Anabel what are you doing here? I thought you had to go watch the remainder of the first round."

"Scott gave me the day off. So what do you wanna do?"

"Well my Pokémon are in a clearing to the south so how about we introduce our Pokémon to each other?" Ash suggested.

"Sounds good."

Ash shot inside and went to gather his things which only took a couple of minutes. He walked back outside and called Charizard out. He asked the dragon to take him and Anabel to the other's. Charizard nodded letting letting the couple get on his back and after Anabel wrapped her arms around Ash securely he shot off at an incredible speed. As they flew Ash heard a quiet whimper behind him and he felt Anabel's hold on him tighten. He took a look back and saw that Anabel had her eyes tightly shut clearly afraid as she was not used to flying, let alone flying at this speed. Ash told Charizard to slow down which he did until Anabel finally felt comfortable with the speed they were going at.

* * *

After ten minutes of flying the clearing came into sight. Charizard gently landed and the two passengers got off. The Pokémon approached the duo and most of them looked confusedly at the lilac haired woman with Ash making Anabel feel a little uncomfortable under their scrutiny. She looked at all of the Pokémon in front of her and was unsurprised to see that she recognised very few of them. She knew about Charizard, Meganium, Donphan, Primeape, Butterfree and Blastoise as Ash had told her stories about them before his disappearance and she had learned about Meowth while Ash had told her how he had attacked the Team Rocket HQ. The rest of them were completely unknown to her.

"Guys I'd like to introduce you to Anabel and well she's my girlfriend." Ash announced.

Although some of them didn't show it all of Ash's Pokémon were delighted that there trainer could now find the happiness he deserved.

"Ash can I ask how you met your Pokémon?" Anabel asked.

"Well that's up to them." Ash replied looking at his Pokémon

The Pokémon quickly told Ash that it was fine although Gardevoir, Flygon and Porygon-Z were reluctant to reveal their pasts. The Pokémon then left Anabel and Ash going back to what they were doing beforehand. Ash shrugged off his backpack and sat with Anabel in the shade of a tree.

"Hey Ash would it be okay to send out my Pokémon so they can meet yours?"

"That's a great idea Anabel."

Anabel took out her Pokéballs and released the Pokémon revealing A Metagross, an Alakazam, a Mr Mime, a Gallade, an Espeon and Raikou. Alakazam and Mr Mime went and began meditating with Gardevoir. Raikou joined Glaceon, Heliolisk, Porygon-Z, Luxray and Absol in their mock battle. Metagross and Gallade joined Lucario, Primeape, Infernape and Scizor in their melee. Which left Espeon who was the only one who didn't join the other Pokémon She instead lied down next to Anabel but was paying more attention to the captivating Glaceon.

"So I'll go through everyone in the order I met them. " Ash said.

Anabel responded with a nod and began listening intently.

"Okay the first one I captured since we last met is Infernape. I caught him in during my journey in Sinnoh. He was originally owned by another trainer but was released after the trainer thought he was weak."

Ash deliberately avoided saying Paul's name as he's no longer the person he was when Ash first met him and he didn't want Anabel to dislike Paul for his previous mistakes.

"I could tell from one glance that the trainer was wrong. Chimchar just need to be trained right so I caught him and he quickly became one of my strongest Pokémon"

Ash looked at Anabel who had been quiet the whole time and saw that she was looking straight at Infernape sadly. It made Ash wonder how she would react to hearing the other's stories as some of them had far darker histories.

"Anabel are you okay?" Ash asked worriedly.

"Yeah it just sickens me that someone would do that. Please carry on" Anabel replied.

"Okay well Luxray was the first new Pokémon I caught after the betrayal. I had gone back to Sinnoh to train with the few Pokémon I had. While I was walking through Eterna Forest I saw him being attacked by several Luxio and an older looking Luxray. The look in their eyes showed that they were looking to kill. I quickly sent out Charizard and Primeape who after a brutal battle forced the attackers to flee. I healed Luxray up and asked him why he was being attacked. He told us that the Alpha male of his pack had a rule that no Luxio was to evolve under any circumstance. I guess he didn't want any threats to his status. But Luxray had been attacked by a Machamp and had to evolve or he'd have been killed. I asked him if he'd like to join me and he obviously said yes."

Anabel looked back at the battle Luxray was in and saw that he and Absol were now relaxing in the shade while Raikou was still fighting with Glaceon, Heliolisk and Porygon-Z.

"So who was next?" Anabel asked

"Absol was my next capture. I met her about three months after Luxray. She had started visiting a village trying to warn them of disasters. Unfortunately they believed she was the cause of the disasters. One day when she tried to warn them again they sent out several Pokémon and attacked her. Luckily for her I had stayed in the village the previous day to rest. So when I heard the villagers talk about killing Absol I quickly ran out to help her. She was holding her own when I arrived but was clearly getting weaker. I sent out Luxray who wiped out the villagers Pokémon causing them to flee. Absol came up to me and to my surprise tapped one of the Pokéballs on my belt."

Ash stopped and looked at Absol who was now nuzzling Luxray. He turned his attention back to Anabel who was watching the pair with a curious expression.

"I've noticed those two are rather close, are they...?" She trailed off.

"Yes they are mates. That happened a couple of months later. But trust me you really don't wanna know how I found out." Ash then shuddered at the memory.

"So let's move on to the next Pokémon" Ash said desperate to change the topic.

"The next Pokémon that joined me was Lucario. He actually turned out to be the Riolu I had met during my journey through Sinnoh. He had come looking for me because after the betrayal my Aura had been rising to dangerous levels and he was scared for my safety. We began training together and in time he helped me master my Aura. That leads me on to Scizor who spotted me and Lucario training one day and was impressed with what he saw I guess. He challenged Lucario and after a long fight Scizor was the first to faint but Lucario fainted moments after. When they came around Scizor asked if he could come with me so he could fight with Lucario again."

"Aurorus was next. It was an odd meeting since I found her in Sinnoh as usually that fossil line is found in Kalos. One night there I got caught in an awful blizzard. I have to find cover somewhere and eventually came across a small cave. I entered the cave cautiously in case it was home to any wild pokemon. It was then that I heard whimpering. It was coming from the very back of the cave which was shrouded in darkness. I careful walked over and found an Aurorus. The Aurorus appeared to be struggling to breath. On closer inspection I saw a nasty wound on her side that had poison dripping from it. She said she had been attacked when she tried to find a place to stay and accidentally came across a very angry Nidoking. I stayed in the cave with her for a few days healing her and when I left she followed me."

"Next was Flygon who I met during my time in Hoenn searching for any information on Team Rocket. I had just hit a Team Rocket lab when I heard explosions coming from the west. I went to investigate and saw Hunter J attacking Flygon with a Salamence and a Sharpedo. Flygon appeared to be defending another Flygon and a Trapinch who were on the ground and not moving. Meowth jumped into the battle firing a Thunderbolt at the Sharpedo which knocked it out. Seeing Sharpedo fall distracted Hunter J and Salamence giving Flygon the chance to hit Salamence with a Dragon Rush. Hunter J seeing that she was now at a disadvantage fled. I went to check the two bodies behind Flygon and was saddened to find that they had both died. Flygon told us that they were his mate and their young son. I couldn't let Hunter J get away with that so I promised to help Flygon hunt her down. We caught up with Hunter J a few weeks later and well after a long time spent in ICU Hunter J is now rotting in the same jail Giovanni resides in."

"Gardevoir was next. She was just a young Ralts at the time. I found her crying next to her parents bodies. They had been attacked by a pack of Mightyena when they had accidentally walked on their territory. Her parents had died defending her. I brought out Flygon as he knew what it was like to lose your family and if anyone could help her it was him. Over time they became inseparable."

"Milotic was caught while I was in Hoenn too. I saw a trainer with his Feebas, he was yelling at it, calling it a weak and useless Pokémon who was too pathetic to evolve. He crushed it's Pokéball and walked away. I went to the Feebas and looked into her eyes and saw a burning desire to be strong. I said that if she came with me I'd make her the strongest Milotic in the world. After a few weeks of training she evolved, her previous trainer had no clue how to raise her which is why she hadn't evolved."

"Rotom and Porygon-Z were the final Pokémon I caught before fighting Team Rocket. I found them in the Kalos Region. I had gone to Kalos to find any information on Team Rocket but there was very little to find. They hadn't managed to gain much of a foothold on that region unlike the other five. All they had in Kalos was one base of operations which I quickly found and infiltrated."

"As I searched through the base I went through several rooms finding nothing to begin with but then I came to an incredibly large lab. After knocking the grunts and scientists out I spotted a Pokéball inside a glass container. I shattered the glass and took the Pokéball That was when Rotom popped out. The strange thing was that he was randomly changing between all his various forms which should be impossible. Team Rocket had been doing experiments on him trying to force Rotom to change form at will and it had started working but he wasn't able to control the ability. I told Rotom that I could help him and after seeing what I had done to the Team Rocket members he joined me."

"Has Rotom managed to master his various forms?" Anabel asked.

"Yes but every time he changes form it drains some energy from him so he can't change frequently."

"You also said that Porygon-Z came from that base too so how did you come across him?"

"Well when I got to the final room in the base I found Porygon-Z. He was being used as the security system for the base. I found him suspended in the air with several cables that ran from him to the main computer. I shut down all the computer systems first before removing the cables from Porygon-Z and he fell limp in my arms. I then got Gardevoir to Teleport me out of there and I healed his wounds while he was unconscious. When he woke up and saw me he panicked. Eventually my other Pokémon managed to calm him down once I left. It took a week for Porygon-Z to even let me get close to him due to his bad treatment at the hands of Team Rocket. I gave him the choice of being free or coming with me and I was overjoyed when he chose the latter."

"Was there any permanent damage?" She whispered not wanting Porygon-Z to overhear them.

"Not physically. Although he still has a very big trust issue with humans. I'm the only human he fully trusts however there are a few people he is beginning to trust. So don't be offended if at first he keeps his distance." He replied.

"It's okay I completely understand. So who was your first capture after you took down Team Rocket?"

"That would be Tyranitar who is actually the Larvitar I hatched in Johto all those years ago. We met up again just after I took down Team Rocket when I went to Johto to help out the Pokémon Rangers. He had grown up and was bored with staying where he was. He asked if he could come with me to become strong and travel the world and of course I said yes. I got Heliolisk not long after. He was a very young Helioptile at the time. He was a gift from the Pokémon Rangers when I left to go train on Mt Coronet. They said it was their way of thanking me for all the poachers I had helped put behind bars."

"So was Glaceon the most recent capture?" Anabel asked. At the mention of the ice types name Espeon perked up and began listening intently.

"Yes she was. I found her when she was just a small Eevee, one evening I heard something rummaging in my pack. I was surprised to see that it was an Eevee. I noticed how tiny she was so I gave her some food. I asked her why she was alone and she told me she had been abandoned by her pack because she was the runt. Apparently they said that she was slowing everyone down. I told her what had happened to me and we saw how alike we were so she came with me."

"That's awful to be abandoned by your family." Anabel said sadly. She couldn't believe any parent could even consider doing such a thing. Espeon nodded feeling sorry for her fellow Eeveelution.

"Yeah it was hard for her to get over. But she soon came to see us as her real family. Sadly she does find it difficult to get along with other Eeveelutions."

Espeon's ears drooped and she felt a wave of sadness wash over her at what Ash's had said.

"But I think Espeon is more than capable of getting Glaceon to at least be friendly with other Eeveelution's. If she wants to help that is." Ash added.

A sudden desire to show Glaceon that not all Eeveelution's were bad rushed through Espeon. Ash and Anabel watched Espeon get up and walk over to Glaceon who was now laying down in the shade of a tree. Espeon lied next to Glaceon but the ice type didn't even glance at Espeon who started talking.

"It seems I was right." Ash said as they watched the two Eeveelution's.

"What do you mean? It looks like Glaceon is completely ignoring Espeon." Anabel replied confusedly.

"It would appear that way. However in the past whenever an Eeveelution came near her she would get up and walk away threatening to freeze them if they came near her again. But she has stayed there and let Espeon lay down next to her so there must be something she likes about Espeon."

After that Ash and Anabel spent the rest of the day relaxing with their Pokémon Ash introduced all of his Pokémon to Anabel individually so they could all get to know her. To the surprise of everyone Porygon-Z allowed Anabel to actually come near him and didn't freak out like he had done in the past. As night fell Ash suggested leaving their Pokémon in the clearing and getting some food on the way back to the hotel. Just as they were about to walk back into the hotel Ash suddenly remembered something.

"Oh shit. I completely forgot about Paul and Richie. Oh they are gonna be pissed." Ash quickly pulled out his Pokénav and saw he had eleven missed calls. He quickly dialled Paul's number.

"Ketchum where the fuck have you been?!" Paul yelled.

"Paul I can explain. Listen meet up with me outside the Pokémon centre tomorrow at noon and bring Richie too. I'll explain everything and then we can then pick up our schedule's for the second round."

"Ok but it better be a damn good explanation." Paul grumbled and then hung up.

Ash placed his Pokénav back in his pocket.

"Well that went better than expected." Ash said jokingly

"Really?"

"Yeah well he only swore once."

The young couple continued walking back to the hotel and at the same time they were admiring the beauty of stars and the full moon. By the time they got back to the hotel it was pitch black. They went inside and managed to get back to Anabel's room without being seen and like the night before they fell to sleep in each other's arms.

* * *

The next morning Ash went with Anabel down to his training area and they picked up their Pokémon They walked to the Pokémon centre spotting two very angry looking men standing outside.

"Alright Hayashi let's here your lame excuse." Paul growled making no attempt to hide how pissed off he was.

"Yeah Takeo what was so important that you had to ignore us?" Richie said just as angrily.

"Well guys I met up with Anabel and well now we are together. So I've been spending all of my time with her." Ash replied hoping that they'd understand.

To Ash's relief Richie seemed to understand and instantly calmed down. Paul on the other hand was less pissed than before but he was still pretty annoyed. Which made Ash feel sorry for whoever Paul was going to be battling today.

"So let's go and get our schedule's." Ash said trying to lighten the mood.

"We'd already have ours if you hadn't been late as usual." Paul grumbled.

Everyone ignored Paul's comment and the four of them walked inside and went to Nurse Joy who handed them their schedules. Richie looked strangely at his opponent's name.

"I'm battling a guy called Nando. The hell kinda name is that?"

"I've got that loser Barry again." Paul said with disdain.

"I'm against someone who challenged the Battle Tower a couple of months before Ash. I only just managed to beat him last time. His name's Hyaki Sitora." Anabel said nervously.

"So who've you got Takeo?" Richie asked.

When they got no answer from Ash they looked at him and saw that there was and almost maniacal smile on his face that was so terrifying that it was even unnerving Paul.

"I've get to crush Gary motherfucking Oak. Oh I am really gonna enjoy this." He said darkly.

The feral grin on Ash's face was terrifying for Anabel.

"Takeo, please stop this you're scaring me." She pleaded.

Her pleads were ignored as Ash was still focussed solely on the schedule in front of him. He was drowning out everything else his desire for revenge was the only thing on his mind. As he thought of various ways to destroy Gary he saw a tear trickle down Anabel's cheek and she started trembling. Ash was immediately broken out of the dark thoughts he was having and he pulled Anabel into an embrace.

"I'm so sorry Anabel. Please forgive me I let my desire for revenge take over but that is no excuse for my actions."

"Just promise me that you'll never have that look on your face again."

"I swear to you Anabel that I will do everything I can to make sure that doesn't happen again."

Anabel's trembling had stopped now she looked at Ash's face and the smile she loved was back. The couple broke apart and Ash looked at Paul and Richie with an apologetic look on his face.

"Sorry about that guys."

Suddenly the doors to the Pokémon centre opened. The four of them looked to see who had entered and saw them. Paul, Richie and Anabel looked at Ash and saw that he was remaining completely calm. The group decided that they should make a quick exit as they didn't want be around them unless they had to. As the groups approached each other the seven traitors glared at them. Richie and Paul shot back glares of their own and Sparky's cheeks started crackling. Ash just carried on forward ignoring them and Anabel avoided their gaze. Just as the quartet were about to exit Ash stopped and looked over his shoulder at the traitors.

"See you tomorrow Gare-bare." He said mockingly.

Before Gary had a chance to respond Ash had left. This made Gary grind his teeth as he hated that nickname and he hadn't had a chance to throw back an insult at that loser. Nurse Joy handed Gary his schedule and saw that he would in fact be battling Takeo tomorrow. The other traitors reassured him that he could take Hayashi down no problem.

"Yeah I'm Gary Oak there is no way that loser can beat me." He boasted as the group left the Pokémon Centre.

* * *

Notes

Please give a review telling me what you liked/didn't like.

If you have any questions I am more than happy to answer them.

I know that the Porygon is genderless but I didn't really want to use the word it every time I talk about Porygon-Z.

Next chapter is Ash vs Gary – Who will Ash use?


	4. The First Traitor Falls

Thank you everyone who took the time to review. I really appreciate it.

Here's chapter 4 I hope you enjoy.

In conversations:

'- Translation of Poké Speech – No human unless otherwise stated can understand it. Ash can understand it due to his Aura.

"- Human speech

"**- Telepathy**

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

* * *

Outside the Pokémon centre the four of them split up so they could some training done before tomorrow. Richie and Paul went off on their own while Ash and Anabel started walking back to the clearing. While they were heading to the clearing Ash kept glancing at Anabel. He saw that she was keeping her gaze down and her posture was tense. Ash sensed her Aura and could feel that she was anxious and concerned. The emotions flowing through Anabel made Ash feel uneasy and he was seriously worried that his actions in the Pokémon Centre had damaged his relationship with Anabel. As they were about to walk into the clearing Ash stopped Anabel.

"Anabel what's wrong? Are you still worried about what happened in the Pokémon centre?" Ash asked.

"No it's not that. I'm just thinking about this guy I am facing. He is tough, the last time I fought him I only just managed to win and that was when I was at my prime. He's gonna crush me." She said dejectedly.

Ash watched Anabel sadly as she turned her gaze back to the ground. He pulled her into a hug and she wrapped her arms around him in return.

"Hey don't be so negative. Listen we've got a day before you battle him so me and my Pokémon will help you train."

"Thanks Ash."

"No problem. By this time tomorrow we'll be celebrating my win over Gary and yours against Hyaki."

"Yeah you're right Ash." Anabel replied.

"Come on let's get back to the others and start training."

Anabel nodded in response and they walked into the clearing. They sent out their Pokémon who all looked at their trainers wondering who their opponents for the next round were. Ash's Pokémon saw the look on his face and knew that they must be fighting one of the ones who betrayed Ash.

"Ok everyone tomorrow we start getting revenge against the traitors. We get the chance to destroy our old friend Gary." Ash's Pokémon looked at him with smirks that promised pain.

"And we're against Hyaki again." Anabel announced. Her Pokémon all grinned excited to fight someone who had given them such a tough battle.

"So Anabel are you and your Pokémon ready for the hardest training you've ever done?"

"Of course we are." She replied confidently.

"Well let's begin."

They spent the next few hours they trained hard. They rotated between learning new techniques and fighting mock battles. Ash and Anabel were surprised how much her Pokémon seemed to improve. Anabel's Pokémon listened to everything Ash's Pokémon were saying and it didn't take them long before they started to use what they were taught. Raikou had trained with Luxray and Helioptile who taught him a couple of new techniques on how to manipulate his electricity. Metagross sparred with Lucario and Scizor while also learning how to transfer electric attacks into the ground. Alakazam and Mr Mime spent time with Charizard learning Thunderpunch and Fire punch to give them a variety of moves and it would be a great way to surprise opponents. Espeon spent a lot of time with Glaceon learning Signal Beam. Gallade spent a lot of time with Gardevoir but at first spent most of the time generally chatting. That changed when Flygon gave them both and irritated glare.

As it started to get dark Ash and Anabel decided to stop training since everyone looked exhausted. After healing the Pokémon up and having dinner Ash and Anabel got ready to head back to the hotel. They asked their Pokémon if they wanted stay in the clearing or go back into their Pokéballs and they all decided they wanted to stay out in the forest. Ash and Anabel left the clearing and quickly returned to the hotel.

* * *

The next morning Ash and Anabel went to the clearing and got their chosen Pokémon for today's battle. They walked to the Pokémon Centre where they had to part ways as their matches started at the same time. Ash pulled her into a hug as he sensed how nervous she was.

"Stop worrying Anabel I know you can beat him. Remember that I believe in you and so do all of our Pokémon" Ash said softly.

Anabel wished she shared Ash's and the other's belief and simply nodded in return.

"Once I've wiped the floor with Gary I'll meet you at stadium four."

"Ok."

The couple broke the hug and walked towards the stadiums they're battling in.

Ash got to stadium three just in time to watch Paul obliterate Barry. He went down to the locker room and saw Paul leaving.

"Hey Paul that was quite a dominant performance you really crushed Barry." Ash said.

"He was weak." Paul said in a bored tone.

Ash chuckled as he watched Paul leave the stadium . He'd known Paul long enough to know that response is as close to thank you as you are likely to get from Paul.

"Will Takeo Hayashi and Gary Oak take their places on the battlefield."

Ash looked at Meowth who was stood on his shoulder.

"You ready to humiliate Gary?"

"Yeah let's go beat dat twerp."

Ash and Meowth smirked as they left the tunnel and stood on the battlefield. Ash glared at his oldest rival who looked away at the referee to avoid the intense glare. Seeing that he'd accomplished his goal of intimidating Gary he stopped glaring and just stood with a cocky grin on his face.

"In the red trainer box we have Gary Oak and in the green trainer box we have Takeo Hayashi." All bar six people in the stadium cheered for the mysterious trainer.

"This battle will be a three vs three match. The rules are that when one Pokémon faints both trainers select a new Pokémon and you cannot use moves like Volt Switch. Hayashi shall choose his Pokémon first."

"Charizard let's crush this worm." Charizard burst out of his Pokéball and roared as he fired a massive Flamethrower into the air. The sight intimidated Gary and terrified some of the audience at the sheer power on display, Gary was frozen for a moment as remembered the last time he had fought a Charizard.

"I'm ready for battle Ash." Charizard said darkly as he glared at Gary.

Up in the stands Pikachu decided that he was gonna get some answer's to the questions running through his mind right now. He was one hundred percent positive that Takeo was indeed Ash Ketchum. All he had to do now was come up with a plan to get close so he could find out how he had gotten this strong.

Back on the Gary had overcome his fear and the irritating smug look that he always wore was back.

"That overgrown lizard doesn't scare me." He taunted.

"Mocking Charizard is not a good idea."

"Shut up Hayashi. Blastoise you're up"

When the tortoise came out he instantly recognised his opponent. A smirk formed on his face as he had been looking forward to getting revenge for what happened in the Silver Conference.

"Blastoise use Hydro Pump." Gary smirked thinking this was gonna be an easy win.

"Take it." Ash said in a dismissive tone.

Everyone was shocked at what he had said. The whole stadium was now thinking exactly the same thing as Gary. They watched as Blastoise shot two high pressure jets of water from the cannons on it's back straight at Charizard. The dragon did as Ash had instructed and just stood there and waited for the powerful streams of water. When the water hit Charizard everyone was certain the that was an easy knock-out but they were all gob smacked when they saw that the powerful water attack didn't even seem to have fazed the fire type. Gary stood their in shock at what he had just witnessed. Nothing had ever taken a Hydro Pump from his Blastoise and afterwards stood there as if nothing had happened. Ash had another chuckle at Gary.

"Now it's our turn. Charizard use Earthquake then charge forward and hit him with a Focus Punch and fire a Solar Beam." Ash commanded

Charizard stomped on the ground causing it shake even more than when Onix had slammed onto the battlefield the other day. The shock waves knocked Blastoise off-balance and as he tried to regain his balance he had no chance to dodge or even block the charging Charizard. The dragon threw his glowing white fist forward and connected with Blastoise's jaw which sent the tortoise flying past Gary and crashing into the wall. Charizard then channelled energy from the sun and fired a white beam from his mouth straight at Blastoise who withdrew into his shell hoping to lessened the damage. When the Solar Beam hit Blastoise it caused a massive explosion that knocked Gary off his feet and shrouded the arena in dust.

As the dust settle everyone saw Blastoise struggling to get up and knew that this battle was over. Gary looked at the condition Blastoise was in and he decided to go for broke hoping that he could do some damage to Charizard before Blastoise went down.

"Gary your Blastoise is pathetic. Charizard's not even warmed up yet and your it looks like a gentle breeze could knock your Blastoise out. It's a shame you're turning out to be such a disappointment."

"Blastoise is not pathetic and I will not stand here and let you mock us. Blastoise's use Giga Impact." Gary shouted.

"Take a step to the left then use Thunder Punch to knock him in the air and then you know what to do." Ash said casually.

Blastoise charged towards Charizard who like before just stood there and seconds before Blastoise was about to slam into his Charizard he stepped to the left and hit Blastoise with an Electric infused uppercut sending him into the sky. The fire type then flew into the air and grabbed on to Blastoise. Gary watched as an all too familiar scene played out before him. Charizard had now flown miles into the air and began executing what had become his signature move. He threw Blastoise as hard as he could back towards Earth. Blastoise crashed into the ground leaving a Blastoise shaped crater in the battlefield. Gary couldn't believe it. His Blastoise had never been beaten so easily and the worst part was that he hadn't even landed a damaging hit.

"Blastoise is unable to battle. Trainers choose your next Pokémon."

"Well Gary I was expecting the grandson of the famous Professor Samuel Oak to give me a challenge. I guess I was wrong." Ash said mockingly.

"This match isn't over yet Hayashi. Garchomp you're up." Gary growled.

Ash smirked as his old Gible landed on the battlefield. Although he hadn't bonded with Gible as much as he had done with his other Pokémon his betrayal had still hurt and now he was gonna pay for it. Ash looked to his shoulder and saw that Meowth had a similar smirk

"Meowth you're up. Let's annihilate him."

Garchomp watched Meowth walk on to the battlefield and felt almost insulted. He was a dragon who should be fighting worthy opponents not weak little cats. Ash knew that Garchomp was underestimating Meowth which was a huge mistake for anyone to make. Ash was tempted to let Meowth do this on his own because if there is one thing a dragon values more than anything it's its pride and what better way to destroy that than beating it with a Pokémon it's species considers weak. But Ash wanted to contribute to the crushing of his old Pokémon

"Come on Gare-bare you've got the first move."Ash taunted hoping he would get under Gary's skin.

"Shut the hell up you loser. Garchomp use Dragon Claw." Gary yelled angrily.

Ash smirked as his mission was accomplished.

"Meowth match it with Slash. Then use Water Pulse and make Garchomp eat dirt with Iron Tail."

Garchomp's claws glowed green and Meowth's claws glowed white. They charged at each other and their claws clashed. The appeared to be even as neither Pokémon was giving any ground. However it was just a façade on Meowth's part so he could charge the Water Pulse. He formed a blue orb in his spare hand and fired it at Garchomp point blank. The attack knocked the dragon away allowing Meowth to rake his claws across Garchomp creating a trio of cuts on his abdomen. Meowth then jumped in the air as his tail shimmered silver and he slammed it down on Garchomp's head. The power of the attack smashed Garchomp into the ground and Meowth jumped back in front of Ash. Both trainer and Pokémon then yawned and looked extremely bored which seriously pissed off Gary and Garchomp.

"Garchomp use Sandstorm and then Earthquake."

Sand began swirling around until it covered the battlefield and hid Garchomp from view. The ground then started shaking but the tremors were nowhere near as powerful as the ones Charizard had made earlier. Meowth just stood not even fazed by the tremors.

"If you think some sand will save you Gary then you're sorely mistaken. Meowth use your Aura vision to find Garchomp then use Giga Impact. Follow up with Rain Dance."

"Garchomp use Dragon Rush."

Meowth closed his eyes and everything took a blue hue which made it easy to spot the hiding dragon. Meowth began charging at Garchomp gradually gaining a lot of momentum. The dragon saw the cat charging towards him and his body became surrounded in a blue aura. He then shot straight at Meowth confident that he would easily overpower his opponent. The two clashed and Garchomp was to the crowds surprise sent flying out of the Sand Storm and he landing in front of Gary. They then saw a blue orb being fired into the sky making it rain heavily which washed away the sand.

"Garchomp crush him with Draco Meteor." Garchomp smirked as he knew that nothing had been able to survive his Draco Meteor for a long time.

"Counter Shield."

Garchomp flew into the air and an orange orb into the sky. The orb then exploded which released several orange orbs that were raining from the sky all headed at Meowth. In response Meowth got on his back and began spinning while firing a Thunderbolt which created a barrier of electricity. The Meteors crashed into the electricity but they were all either deflected or destroyed on impact by the Counter Shield. As the last meteor ricocheted off the shield Garchomp looked down completely demoralised as he just saw his most powerful attack had been stopped by a puny cat. His spirit was crushed and he slowly descended to the ground. Ash looked on at the once proud dragon and felt a great deal of satisfaction as his plan had worked. Ash saw the dejected dragon across from him and decided to end it. There was no fun to be had now in battling Garchomp as he'd broken the dragon and that was more than any amount of pain could ever do.

"Meowth put him out of his misery use Night Fury Slash."

"Garchomp Dragon Rush NOW!" Gary yelled.

Meowth charged at the demoralised dragon as his claws turned black. Garchomp just stood there and watched Meowth as he began his relentless assault. Garchomp didn't fight back or even try to defend himself and took every attack. The sheer number of hits combined with the strength behind each slash meant that Garchomp fainted not long after.

"Garchomp is unable to battle, trainers choose your last Pokémon."

Gary was struggling to choose which Pokémon he should use. He knew that no matter which one he chose it was going to be at a disadvantage against one of Hayashi's Pokémon. Ash on the other hand already had Meganium on the field ready for battle.

"Hey I don't have all day. Do you think you could you hurry up over there."

"That's it. I've had enough of your loud mouth. Go Arcanine!"

Ash remembered fighting Arcanine in the Silver Conference and how it took a Hyper Beam from Snorlax to finish him off.

"Meganium Sunny Day." Ash said.

"Big mistake Takeo. Arcanine Flamethrower."

Arcanine began building up a powerful Flamethrower while a pair of golden orbs formed between the two stamen-like protrusions sprouting from the top of Meganium's nose. Beams of golden light then shot from the orbs straight into the sky. The beams parted the rain clouds and the sun reappeared. Now that the sun was back out Arcanine released the Flamethrower he had been building up while he had waited for the sun to be back. The intense flames shot at Meganium who stood still and watched the flames approach but looked completely unconcerned. Meganium was then engulfed in the flames and despite what they had seen earlier when Charizard had easily taken a Hydro Pump from Blastoise the crowd looked shocked and Gary looked smug. All of their expressions changed when the flames died down revealing Meganium who was unharmed and smirking. Arcanine was slightly unnerved and took a couple of steps back in fear.

"You know Gary it's sad that your Pokémon are so weak that they can't even do a tiny bit of damage to my Pokémon when you have a type advantage. But then again my Pokémon are far more powerful than you could ever imagine." Ash taunted.

Ash took a look at Arcanine and could tell by the look in his eyes that he didn't want to fight Meganium.

"If you really care about your Pokémon you will give up now." Ash said not wanting to cause Arcanine any unnecessary pain.

Gary was refusing see that he was beaten and he would not give up no matter what.

"Extreme Speed."

"You never learn. Meganium stop him with Vine Whip." Ash said calmly.

Arcanine started sprinting towards Meganium at an incredible speed. He was going so fast that he was almost a blur the only thing visible was the white streaks shooting off him. Sadly for him Meganium has had practice against much faster opponents so she could easily see where Arcanine was. She released several vines that wrapped around all of Arcanine's limbs and one wrapped around his mouth stopping him from trying any kind of attack. Arcanine tried to break free but his struggling was futile. Ash watched Arcanine struggle to get free and felt sorry for him.

"Gary give up."

"Never. Use Fire Blast."

Arcanine tried to open it's mouth but Meganium's vines were just too strong. Ash and Meganium looked sadly at Arcanine as they really didn't want to do any more damage. Meganium looked back at Ash and both nodded not wanting to prolong Arcanine's suffering.

"I'm sorry Arcanine. I wish it didn't have to come to this. Meganium throw him in the air and use Solar Beam." Ash said sadly.

Arcanine sent a thankful look at Meganium and Ash for ending the battle. Meganium swung her vines around and released Arcanine sending him high into the sky. Meganium gathered energy from the sun and the petals around her neck glowed green. After spending a minute charging she fired a massive green beam at Arcanine. The beam of energy hit Arcanine and he was instantly knocked out. He then started plummeting towards the ground but he was caught by Meganium who gently lowered him to the ground in front of Gary.

"Arcanine is unable to battle. Takeo Hayashi is the winner and will advance to the third round."

Gary fell to his knees. A combination of guilt at what he had put Arcanine through and the fact that he'd never been beaten that badly before was crushing him. Ash and Meganium were smirking at the sight of Gary Oak on his knees and at the soul destroyed look on Gary's face.

"One down six to go." Ash muttered as he returned Meganium.

After taking one more satisfied look at his broken opponent Ash turned around and walked down the tunnel. He somehow managed to avoid all the fans and media that had been waiting for him and he left the stadium. Once outside he started walking towards stadium four to see Anabel win her match.

* * *

Ash arrived at stadium four in a couple of minutes. He walked inside and he wasn't surprised to see Anabel's match still going on. He looked to the scoreboard which showed that both Anabel and Hyaki only had one Pokémon left each. Anabel had Espeon and Hyaki had Houndoom and by the looks of it Houndoom was in better shape right now. Houndoom released a massive Flamethrower at Espeon who managed to dodge it but there was only centimetres in it.

Down on the battlefield Anabel was hanging her head almost resigned to her fate.

"I'm sorry Ash I've let you down." She muttered.

Ash saw the state she was in and knew that if he didn't do something she would lose. He looked around trying to think of something. He suddenly caught sight of the announcers box which gave him an idea. It was risky but hopefully it would work. He climbed up the steps and broke into the announcers box which startled the announcer. Ash quickly snatched one of the microphones from the terrified announcer. He took a quick look around and could see security headed his way so he knew he didn't have much time so he got straight to the point.

"Anabel."Ash said clearly.

Anabel's head shot up knowing that was Ash's voice.

"I know you can do this. I believe in you and so do your Pokémon. Now win this match." He commanded and then quickly made his escape.

Anabel smiled at Ash's words and then looked to Espeon who nodded at her showing she agreed with Ash. A sudden rush of confidence filled Anabel and she now believed she could win.

"Houndoom finish this use Iron Tail." Hyaki said.

Houndoom's whip like tail shimmered silver and he began charged at Espeon who looked back at Anabel awaiting instructions. Espeon was relieved to see the confident look that used to drive Anabel during battles was back.

"Use Quick Attack to dodge. Then use Dig."

When Houndoom was just a few foot away from Espeon he leapt in the air and aimed his metallic tail at Espeon but to his and Hyaki's surprise he just hit the ground causing stones to fly everywhere. Neither of them had seen Espeon shoot away so fast that she became a blur. They looked around trying to spot the Eeveelution but she had already dug underground. Houndoom kept looking around confusedly as he had no idea where Espeon would appear from. He stood in a defensive stance to himself for when Espeon reappeared.

"Now hit Houndoom with Signal Beam then use Calm Mind."

The ground behind Houndoom shook and Espeon burst out of the battlefield. A white orb then formed in front of the red jewel on her forehead and she fired a rainbow coloured beam from the orb at Houndoom. The attack knocked Houndoom back causing some damage but more crucially it caused Houndoom to start staggering around showing it was confused. Espeon then closed her eyes and began focussing and cleared her mind which greatly increased her mental powers.

"Houndoom snap out of it use Dark Pulse." Hyaki said with a hint of desperation in his voice.

"Use Psychic to make a shield out of the rubble on the battlefield."

Houndoom shook his head trying to get rid of the dizziness he was feeling and it seemed to work as he was snapped out of the confusion. Houndoom then fired a dark wave of energy at Espeon. But she'd had more than enough time to levitate the rocks from the destroyed battlefield to create a wall in front of herself. The dark energy hit the rocks that were shielding Espeon but the makeshift shield held strong and withstood the attack.

"Now throw the rocks at Houndoom then use Hyper Beam."

"Fire your own Hyper Beam."

The makeshift shield was broken apart and then the rocks were shot at Houndoom. The stones pelted Houndoom which did some damage and it also distracted him from charging his Hyper Beam. Espeon formed an orange orb in her mouth and then shot a powerful orange beam from the orb. The immensely powerful attack shot straight at Houndoom while he still recovering from his pelting so he had very little time to charge his own Hyper Beam. Somehow he managed to charge and fire his Hyper Beam but the attacks collided right in front of causing him to be caught in the explosion which shrouded Houndoom in smoke. When the smoke cleared the it revealed a very tired Espeon and an unconscious Houndoom.

"Houndoom is unable to battle. Anabel advances to the next round."

Anabel couldn't quite believe it. When she recovered from her shock she ran on to the battlefield and hugged Espeon thanking her for her performance. She returned the Eeveelution and looked at Hyaki who looked shocked and disappointed that he had lost when he had been so sure that he'd win. The two trainers walked to the centre of the battlefield and shook hands.

"Well done Anabel. You managed to beat me again." He sounded devastated.

"You'd have beaten me if it hadn't been for the pep talk." Anabel replied hoping it would make him feel better.

"Yeah well next time I'll beat you." He said with a cocky grim.

"I look forward to it."

The crowd then cheered and applauded the trainers for such a great battle and for the sportsmanship they showed. The trainers turned around and went down their tunnels. After pushing her way past the media Anabel walked out of the stadium. She had a massive smile on her face and she felt proud and ecstatic that she'd managed to win.

"That was an impressive display. I knew you could do it." Ash said as he walked out from the corner he was hiding behind.

"It's thanks to you that I managed to pull it off." She replied. She walked over to Ash and pressed her lips against his. When they broke for air Ash pulled her into a hug. Anabel sighed in content. She loved the safety and comfort she felt in Ash's embrace.

"Anabel it was your strategies and skills that won that battle. You just needed someone to make you believe you could do it."

"I guess you're right. So how was your battle with Gary?" She asked.

"Well let's just say that Gary got what was coming too him. We'll probably see him in the Pokémon Centre so you can see the look on his face and that will tell you everything. "

Suddenly Ash felt something hit the back of his head. He released his grip on Anabel and turned around to see Meowth who looked pretty annoyed.

"Hey what da hell boss you left me behind in dat stadium."

"Sorry Meowth I was just trying to ditch security and I guess I kinda forgot about you."

"Forget it. I'm in a good mood after embarrassing Garchomp."

"Thanks. So how about we go to the Pokémon centre so we can get Anabel's Pokémon healed."

Meowth took his usual spot on Ash's shoulder and the trio began walking towards the Pokémon Centre all hoping to catch a glimpse of Gary.

* * *

When Ash, Anabel and Meowth arrived at the Pokémon centre they spotted Gary sat at a table looking totally pathetic. May, Dawn and Tracey were sat with trying to console him. But it was obvious that it wasn't working. Ash was enjoying the scene as now Gary was experiencing some of the emotions Ash had felt the day they betrayed him. Anabel was also looking at Gary and although she hated him for what him and the other's did to Ash she felt a bit sorry for him as she knew that Ash must have really decimated him.

Ash and Anabel walked up to Nurse Joy ignoring the glares thrown their way by May, Dawn and Tracey. Anabel handed her Pokéballs to Nurse Joy and they sat down the table that was as far away from the traitors as physically possible. The room was completely silent as the traitors continued to glare at Ash and Anabel. After what felt like hours Nurse Joy called out that Anabel's Pokémon had been healed. Ash and Anabel got up from the table and she picked up her Pokémon. As Ash and Anabel went to leave they were stopped by Nurse Joy.

"I was told to inform all competitors that the next round you will be randomly paired up with someone in a double battle. The rules are that each trainer has three Pokémon The first team to lose all of their Pokémon loses."

Ash and Anabel thanked Nurse Joy for the information and then they left the Pokémon centre completely ignoring the traitors again. As they walked outside Richie was approaching the Pokémon centre when he saw them leaving he quickly ran over to them which made Sparky fall off Richie's shoulder and land face first on the ground. Richie hadn't even noticed that Sparky was no longer on his shoulder and as he was about to start talking with Ash and Anabel he was hit with a Thunderbolt from Sparky. Everyone looked at the mouse who was scowling at Richie.

"Sorry Sparky." Richie said nervously.

'So you should be.' Sparky replied.

Richie picked Sparky up and placed him back on his shoulder. Sparky couldn't stay mad at his trainer for long and rubbed his cheek against Richie's as his way of apologising.

"Don't worry about it buddy. To be honest I deserved that." Richie said as he rubbed Sparky head. Richie then turned his attention back to Ash and Anabel."So guys how did your battles go?" Richie asked.

"If you wanna know how my battle went just go inside and look at Gary's face. That will tell you everything you need to know." Ash said.

"I only wish I'd have been there to see you crush Gary. What about you Anabel how did you do?"

"I only just managed to just pull off a win. After someone gave me a pep talk." Anabel replied while looking at Ash.

"Hey what kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't help out my girlfriend?"

"A very bad one." Meowth answered sarcastically.

This gained a chuckle from everyone.

"So Richie how did your battle go?" Ash asked.

"I won but that Nando guy pissed me off. All he did was keep putting my Pokémon to sleep. I'm just lucky that Zippo knew Sleep Talk." Richie said as he remembered roasting that Kricketune.

"Well that is the only strategy I've seen Nando use which is sad really. Anyway Richie how about you and Paul meet us here tomorrow at 10am?"

"Sure Takeo sounds good. I'll see you both tomorrow."

Richie and Sparky left Ash and Anabel and waved at them until they walked inside the Pokémon centre. They looked around and saw Gary hunched over in his seat with a broken look on his face.

"Ash really crushed him didn't he?" Richie whispered.

'Yeah he really did.' Sparky replied as he nodded.

* * *

Outside the Pokémon Centre Ash and Anabel began walking towards the clearing. When they got there they sent out all of their Pokémon who were quick to congratulate the battlers and they all demanded to get a very detailed description of the battle against Gary. Upon hearing about Meowth's battle Charizard roared in annoyance as he hadn't fought one of the treacherous Pokémon.

Ash and Anabel watched their Pokémon interacting with smiles on their faces. They were happy that their Pokémon had befriended each other so quickly. As they looked around they saw that the majority of the Pokémon were sparring. However they did see the two Eeveelutions lying side by side in the shade of some trees. To Ash's surprise Glaceon was actually holding a conversation with Espeon which was something that had never happened before. Ash was slightly worried when he saw Espeon wrap her tail around Glaceon's which made the ice Eeveelution stiffen for a moment. Glaceon's reaction seemed to upset Espeon and she was about to release Glaceon's tail but the ice type quickly wrapped her tail tightly around Espeon's stopping her from doing so. The Eeveelution's looked at each other and their cheeks both turned bright red.

"They are really cute together." Anabel said.

Ash nodded in response. They saw that not far from the Eeveelution's Absol and Luxray also had their tail wrapped around each other's and were nuzzling each other to. They also noticed Gallade talking to Gardevoir and he said something that made her start blushing. The only other Pokémon not battling was Flygon who was watching Gallade and Gardevoir. He was very happy for the one he had come to see as a daughter. However he made a promise to himself that if Gallade ever hurt her he would hunt him down and kill him.

As night approached Ash and Anabel made their way to the hotel. The lights illuminating the city made everything look so beautiful. The couple took their time walking back just enjoying the sights and enjoying each other's company. They eventually reached the hotel, went up to their room and had another dream filled night in the embrace of the one they loved.

* * *

Notes

Who will Ash, Anabel, Richie and Paul be teamed up with?

Please give a review telling me what you liked/didn't like.

If you have any questions I am more than happy to answer them.

There is now an FAQ for this story on my profile. So if you have a question check my profile first as it may have the answer. Any new questions asked will be added.

Combo moves

Night Fury Slash – Night Slash + Fury Swipes


	5. A Waterflower Wilts

Thank you everyone who took the time to review. I really appreciate it.

Here's chapter 5 I hope you enjoy.

In conversations:

'- Translation of Poké Speech – No human unless otherwise stated can understand it. Ash can understand it due to his Aura.

"- Human speech

"**- Telepathy**

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

* * *

The next morning Ash and Anabel met up with Richie and Paul at the Pokémon centre. They walked inside to the main desk and Nurse Joy handed each of them their schedules. They examined the schedules and several emotions passed across their faces. Ash was pleased and at the same time slightly angry, Anabel looked relieved, Richie looked confused and finally Paul looked absolutely furious.

"Oh for fuck sake." Paul yelled.

"Hey I will not tolerate foul language in my Pokémon Centre." Nurse Joy scolded.

Paul mumbled an apology and stomped out of the Pokémon Centre not noticing that he had dropped his schedule. Ash picked up the schedule and quickly scanned the paper.

"I can see why Paul is so angry. He's been paired with Max." Ash said.

"I feel sorry for him." Richie said. Ash, Anabel and Sparky nodded in agreement.

"So Anabel who's your partner?" Richie asked.

"Sabrina is my partner for this round. We're battling Jasmine and Erika."

Hearing the Psychic's name made Ash think about asking Sabrina how Haunter was. He had never gone back to see the ghost and although he had never truly owned him he was still interested in how he was doing as he had some fond memories of the short time they spent together.

"How about you Richie?" Ash asked

"Well my partner is Morrison and we're against Tyson and Katie."

"That should be an interesting match." Ash replied remembering his battles against them. "Anyway I've been teamed up with Dawn and we're fighting Misty and Rudy."

"I didn't know the Orange Crew were participating." Richie said.

"They're not. Rudy quit the Orange Crew to become joint leader of the Cerulean Gym after he married Misty." Anabel stated.

Ash wasn't really surprised they had gotten together. During his time in the Orange Archipelago Rudy had flirted with Misty and she had seemed to enjoy his company.

The trio exited the Pokémon Centre and once outside Richie went off to find Morrison while Ash and Anabel went to the clearing. When the Pokémon saw their trainers they stopped what they were doing and went to them. After informing them of their partners and opponents Anabel's Pokémon looked excited to be battling alongside another Psychic user and Ash's Pokémon grinned as they had the chance to thrash another traitor. Although they were annoyed that they had to be on the same team as one of the traitors. Ash looked at his Pokémon trying to decide who to use and after a little thought he managed to choose the three that would battle.

"Congratulations Glaceon, Blastoise and Infernape you get to crush Misty." Ash declared.

This earned a groan from the rest of his Pokémon

"Hey you will all get your shot at the traitors at some point." He said trying to placate them which seemed to work.

"Now let's get some serious training done." Ash yelled. Both his and Anabel's Pokémon all cheered exuberantly and started battling

* * *

Meanwhile back at the Pokémon centre four of the traitors are waiting for their schedule for the next round. They took a quick look at their partners and opponents. Brock didn't really seem bothered by his schedule, Max was angry and slightly scared that Paul was his team-mate, Dawn looked frightened and Misty smirked while looking at Dawn. Suddenly Misty grabbed Dawn's arm and dragged her away to a private room in the Pokémon Centre which was far away from anyone. Once inside she locked the door and then marched over to Dawn grabbing her by her throat and she slammed the young Co-Ordinator against the wall. Pain shot through Dawn and she whimpered in fear as tears formed in her eyes.

"Listen up you little bitch cos I won't repeat what I'm about to say." Misty growled.

Dawn nodded as she started shaking in fear.

"You will not help Hayashi tomorrow. You remember what happened seven years ago?"

Dawn nodded again.

"Well if you even try to help him then I promise you it will be ten times worse. DO YOU UNDERSTAND?!" Misty snarled.

"Y-yes I-I-I understand M-Misty." Dawn said as tears streamed down her face.

"Good."

Misty let go of Dawn's throat and then slapped her hard. Dawn put a hand to her cheek which was now bright red and stinging. The feeling made Dawn remember what had happened seven years ago and sobs now wracked her body. Misty sneered at the sobbing girl and walked over to the door. She unlocked it and left Dawn alone in the darkness. Now that Misty had left, Dawn slid down the wall and pulled her legs to her chest. She wrapped her arms around her legs as she sobbed.

"Ash I'm s-s-so sorry." She whispered between sobs.

* * *

Misty joined Brock and Max in the main lobby and the trio started talking about their battles tomorrow. What none of them noticed was that a certain yellow rodent was missing. When they had entered the Pokémon Centre Pikachu had spotted the man he believed to be Ash Ketchum going into the forest. Pikachu waited until he knew that nobody was and shot out of the Pokémon Centre and started following Ash and Anabel so he could find out the truth. Pikachu saw them stop in a clearing with a large group of Pokémon approaching. Pikachu quickly hid behind a tree hoping that he wouldn't be spotted.

As he stood there in hiding he overhead the man saying about defeating another traitor. He watched in awe as he saw the massive battle going on. Pikachu had been so engrossed with what he was watching that he hadn't noticed a presence behind him until he was lifted in the air. He tried to move but Pikachu found that he was completely immobilized, he could see a faint blue glow surrounding him which meant whatever was behind him could use psychic powers. Pikachu was suddenly turned around so he could see his assailant. As soon as he saw the Pokémon that had him trapped fear filled Pikachu as he remembered him and knew what he was capable of. He stared into the glowing blue eyes of the Pokémon that was also sending a death glare at Pikachu which only made the mouse even more terrified of the position he was in.

**"So by the look of terror on your face I can tell that you remember me. Well I am giving you your first and only warning. If you or anyone that you know comes here again then they will suffer a painful death. Now I think it is time for you to leave."**

The blue glow that surrounded both of them became even more intense. Suddenly Pikachu was catapulted through the air by a powerful Psychic blast. Seconds later he crashed through the doors of the Pokémon Centre and landed at Max's feet. His last thought before he lost consciousness was that it must be Ash if he's there.

Ash smirked at his friends handiwork. He had known Pikachu had been following them the whole time as he had sensed his Aura. He had been tempted to get rid of the treacherous rat on his own but he knew that his friend wanted to dish out some pain. So he had decided to leave him to the Psychic type who sent him a pretty clear message. The sight of Pikachu flying through the air pleased all of Ash's Pokémon.

"Good job my friend." Ash complemented

**"It was my pleasure Ash. Now I wish to return to the Pokéball."**

Ash gave the Pokémon a small nod and the Pokémon disappeared returning to the Pokéball on Ash's necklace. Ash and his Pokémon turned their gaze to Anabel and her Pokémon. They almost laughed when they saw their wide eyes and that their jaws had dropped. Anabel was the first to recover and stared at Ash

"Ash who was that?" She asked

"Remember when I told you about Team Rocket?" Ash asked getting a nod from Anabel in response. "The thing is I didn't tell you everything."

* * *

_Flashback (three years ago)_

_Ash had just placed the last of the explosive devices he had and was walking back towards the elevator. He suddenly came across a long dark corridor that had a heavy duty door at the end. The only thing illuminating the corridor was a small light above the door that was flickering. Ash walked down the corridor using his Aura Vision to make sure he didn't fall over anything. He was disturbed to see puddles of blood were all along the floor making Ash wonder what on earth Giovanni had been doing her. Ash tried to open the door but found it was locked so he formed a small Aura Sphere and blew a hole in the door which allowed him to enter the room._

_He walked down a series of blood soaked steps into the darkness. Although visibility was extremely low he could make out what appeared to be a torture rack as well as several other devices that would probably cause excruciating pain. He quickly ducked under one of the several cages hanging from the ceiling which were presumably where the prisoners were kept. As he walked further into the room Ash saw the outline of a body in the corner of the room. Ash rushed towards the body and was shocked to see someone he hadn't met for several years. He was chained to the walls and had clearly suffered several injuries from the cruel devices in the room._

_"Mewtwo, can you hear me?" Ash asked worried that Mewtwo might be dead._

_All Ash got was silence and he was certain that the clone of Mew was indeed dead. Suddenly Mewtwo lifted his head and managed to open his eyes. He was relieved that for once it wasn't Giovanni in front of him but instead the only human he trusted._

"_**Ash." **Using his telepathy to say that took the last of Mewtwo's energy and he passed out._

_Looking at the state Mewtwo was in Ash knew he only had one choice. He took a Pokéball off his belt and tapped it on Mewtwo which instantly captured him. Ash placed the Pokéball safely in his pocket and felt Meowth climb on to his shoulder. Ash glanced at Meowth and could see a similar look of concern on his face_

_"We'd better hurry up and beat Giovanni. I really don't know how long Mewtwo will last without medical attention."_

_After Ash had dropped Giovanni and the evidence off at the Police Station he used Gardevoir to Teleport them to a friend of his that Ash had met up with shortly after he began his search for Team Rocket. The person was well trained in healing Pokémon and he managed to save Mewtwo's life. Although it took several weeks for Mewtwo to be fully healed. But as soon as Mewtwo's strength had returned Ash gave Mewtwo the chance to leave but he declined choosing to remain with Ash._

_Flashback over_

* * *

Ash didn't go into detail about the severity of Mewtwo's injuries or the mutilated corpses of Pokémon and humans that had littered the floor. The things Ash had seen in that torture chamber had haunted him for a long time and he didn't want Anabel to have to suffer through the same nightmares.

"That's horrific. How can someone be so cruel?" Anabel whispered.

Ash pulled Anabel into a hug and she wrapped her arms around him once again feeling safe in his arms.

"Giovanni is a very sick and twisted man. But he will never harm anyone again." Ash said softly. Ash then tilted her chin up so she was looking into his eyes. "And I will never let anyone harm you."

Anabel smiled at Ash's words and brushed her lips against his. After a few moments they broke apart.

"I know Ash." She replied happily.

"So shall we get back to training?" Ash asked.

"What do you guys think?" Anabel asked looking at her Pokémon

They all cried out enthusiastically. The rest of the day was spent preparing for their matches tomorrow. Anabel's Pokémon weren't experienced in battling alongside other Pokémon so they worked on the synergy needed. Ash's Pokémon all helped them improve this by training with them. Gallade and Alakazam took to the different battle style no problem. Espeon, Metagross and Mr Mime struggled at first but manage to pick up the battle style by the end of the day. The only one who struggled was Raikou who as a legendary Pokémon was so used to fighting alone that he wasn't great at teamwork but he was improving.

As it started to get dark both Ash and Anabel could see that their Pokémon were getting tired. So they decided to call it a night and returned to the hotel leaving their Pokémon to relax in the clearing. Once inside the hotel they went back to Anabel's room to get some rest.

* * *

The next day after Ash picked up his Pokémon and he went to the stadium where he would get to crush another traitor. He entered the building and walked down the tunnel to his locker room so he could wait for his match to start. As he was about to enter the locker room he was sure he heard shouting and crying coming from the other locker room. He quietly crept to the door which was slightly ajar and looked through the small gap. What he saw shocked him. Misty was mercilessly beating Dawn who was on the ground defenceless.

"You're here to warn him aren't you?" Misty yelled as she kicked Dawn.

"N-no I p-promise I c-came here t-t-to watch you win. P-please s-stop h-hurting me" She pleaded.

Misty responded with slap across Dawn's face and another kick to her stomach. Ash couldn't stand by and watch anymore. Although Ash hated both of them for betraying him and the part of his mind that desired revenge told him to leave. The noble part couldn't allow Misty to keep attacking Dawn like this. He stepped into the room and grabbed Misty's arm before she could hit Dawn again. Misty turned and glared at Ash.

"What the hell do you want." Misty yelled.

"I'm here to stop this because you have no excuse for beating her like that."

"Piss off Hayashi. It is none of your business." She snarled.

"I think you should leave before I lose my temper." Ash said remaining calm.

Misty growled and wrenched her arm away. She walked out of the room leaving Ash alone with Dawn who was still sobbing. Ash looked at Dawn and despite everything that had happened he felt sorry for her. She was still on the ground now in the fetal position trying to shield as much of her body as possible. Her lip was split, her hair was a mess and it looked like she would have a black eye by tomorrow. Ash got on his knees and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey it's okay Misty is gone. Nobody is gonna hurt you now." Ash whispered softly.

Dawn looked up at her hooded saviour with bloodshot eyes. She launched herself at Ash and wrapped her arms around him while sobbing into his shirt. Ash was torn right now, on the one hand he hated her for betraying him however she was clearly distressed and needed someone to comfort her. He only had to take another look at her to decide what he had to do. He wrapped his arms tightly around Dawn and rubbed her back hoping it would soothe her. Ash found it quite ironic that he is sat comforting one of the people that betrayed him. He would have laughed had the situation not been so serious.

"T-t-t-thank y-y-you for h-helping me."

"It's okay. Has that happened before?"

She took a moment to calm herself down.

"Yes it has been happening for about seven years now. It all started when the group of friends I'm with told me to tell Ash Ketchum that he sucked as a trainer. I got angry at them for even suggesting that and told them that Ash was a great trainer. That was when things got ugly. They attacked me and my Pokémon I don't know how long they attacked but when they stopped they gave me a choice. Turn against Ash or they would kill my Pokémon I didn't want my Pokémon to get hurt so I turned on Ash."

Ash was horrified at what he was hearing. He never thought they would go to such extremes just to make Dawn side with them.

"I only wish that I could see him one last time to tell him how sorry I am." She said.

The guilt that Dawn felt for betraying Ash caused her to start sobbing again. Ash rubbed her back again in an attempt to calm her down again.

"Will Takeo Hayashi and Dawn Berlitz come to the battlefield." The announcer said through the speaker.

Ash glanced at Dawn who looked terrified. He gave her one last hug before standing up and walking to the door.

"Stay here. Lock the door and don't let anyone else in. I'll come get you after I crush Misty and Rudy." Ash said as he left the room.

"Good luck Takeo." Dawn whispered once he had left.

* * *

Ash walked out of the tunnel and on to the battlefield. He took his place in the trainer box and watched as the crowd looked around for his partner and when they say that she was nowhere to be seen the sound of several people muttering to each other could be heard.

"Excuse me Mr Hayashi but where is your partner?" The referee asked.

"Miss Berlitz is in no condition to battle so I will fight Rudy and Misty in a two on one handicap match." Ash declared while glaring at Misty.

The crowd looked shocked at his proposal. Although he had shown tremendous power when he had defeated Gary Oak fighting two Gym Leaders on his own would be a much tougher challenge. The referee looked dubious but then heard a voice through his earpiece that told him to allow it.

"Ok Scott has agreed to your terms Mr Hayashi. So the first team to lose all of their Pokémon losses." The referee announced.

Up in the V.I.P box the people present were staring at Scott wondering why on earth he had actually allowed this match to happen.

"Scott why did you let Hayashi fight on his own?" Lance asked.

"Takeo wanted to fight on his own so I let him do so." Scott replied.

"But it isn't a fair fight." Cynthia added.

"You're right it's not." Scott said. He then grinned. "But you never know Misty and Rudy might surprise us and give Takeo a challenge. Although I seriously doubt it."

The champions were unsure whether Scott was being serious or not. The only way to tell would be to watch the battle.

Back on the battlefield Ash was still glaring at Misty while taking a Pokéball off his belt.

"Infernape may the Aura guide you." The fire monkey appeared and shot a Flamethrower into the sky similar to how Charizard had done against Gary. The crowd were once again slightly frightened by the power he demonstrated.

'Let's do this Ash.' Infernape said with a smirk.

Rudy was slightly intimidated by the display however Misty was unfazed.

"Misty calls Lapras."

"Go Alakazam."

The Pokémon appeared on the battlefield. Rudy's Alakazam stood ready for battle. Lapras on the other hand was just staring at Ash. He met her gaze and his eyes widened in realisation.

"Lapras is that you?" Ash whispered just loud enough for Lapras to hear.

'Ash? Help me please.' Lapras pleaded.

Ash was completely livid now. It was obvious to him that Misty had been abusing Lapras by the pleading in her voice and the sad look on her face. Now he had another reason to make sure Misty would pay for what she had done.

"That's it Misty now I'm pissed. I know you've hurt that Lapras and for that you will pay!"

"Shut up Hayashi. Lapras use Hydro Pump." Misty yelled. But Lapras just shook her head refusing to fight.

"You useless Pokémon you are just as pathetic as that former trainer of yours."

Ash and Infernape shook with rage at Misty's words and tears could be seen in Lapras' eyes. Everyone watched in shock as Misty dropped Lapras' Pokéball and then stomped on it shattering it into a thousand pieces. Ash wasted no time getting one of his own Pokéballs and running over to her. She nuzzled Ash and allowed him to capture her again.

The referee was about to disqualify Misty. However Ash interrupted saying to let her continue battling and choose a new Pokémon instead. The referee once again paused waiting for Scott's decision and was told to do as Takeo said.

"You'll regret that Hayashi. Misty calls Feraligatr"

Another Pokémon from his past it's a shame really Ash had always had a soft spot the fun-loving Totodile. But now he would pay for betraying him.

"Well I'll let you two have the first move."

"Feraligatr Hydro Pump."

"Alakazam hold Infernape in place with Psychic."

"Thunder Blast then follow up with Mach Punch.""

Feraligatr opened his mouth and shot a powerful stream of water at Infernape at the same time Alakazam glowed blue and a similar blue glow surrounded Infernape. However the fire monkey easily shook the attack off and his fists started crackling with electricity. He then formed a blue orb in his hands and the electricity in his fists was transferred to the blue orb which now crackled. Infernape shot the crackling orb at Feraligatr's hydro Pump and it cut straight through the water like a knife through warm butter. The orb slammed into Feraligatr causing him to crash to the ground. Infernape's fist then glowed white and he charged at Alakazam who had no chance to stop the jaw shattering punch that slammed into his face. The force of the punch knocked him off his feet and he slammed into Feraligatr. Both Pokémon got back up glaring at Infernape who was grinning at them smugly. Misty and Rudy looked at each other and nodded.

"Ice Aqua Jet."

"Use Psychic to speed it up."

"Infernape use Iron Tail on Feraligatr then throw him at Alakazam and end it with Flare Impact."

Feraligatr's fist became encased in ice and then he became surrounded in water which then froze from the Ice Punch. Feraligatr then shot off towards Infernape as a blue grow surrounded him which increased the speed of the attack. Infernape stood watching the block of ice headed his way with a smirk on his face. Just as Feraligatr was about to ram into Infernape the fire monkey's jumped and slammed his metallic tail into Feraligatr which shattered the ice and sent him crashing to the ground. Infernape picked up the limp Feraligatr and then threw him straight at Alakazam. The psychic type tried to stop Feraligatr with another Psychic but Feraligatr was moving to fast and he slammed into Alakazam sending them both skidding across the battlefield until finally slamming into the arena wall. It wasn't over for them yet though as Infernape became engulfed in flames and charged at the defenceless Pokémon They both knew they had no way to stop Infernape and could only lie there and take the attack. Infernape slammed into them knocking them both out.

"Feraligatr and Alakazam are unable to battle. Misty and Rudy choose your next Pokémon"

Rudy and Misty returned their Pokémon while glaring at Takeo.

"Misty calls Vaporeon."

"Go Electivire."

Seeing the Pokémon Misty had chosen made Ash's next choice easy.

"Infernape return. Glaceon may the Aura guide you." The ice Eeveelution appeared and glared at Vaporeon.

'I'm looking forward to this.' Glaceon said with a sinister tone.

"Vaporeon Hydro Pump."

"Electivire Focus Blast."

"Use Ice Beam to freeze both attacks. Then use Blizzard."

Vaporeon opened his mouth and fired a powerful jet of water and Electivire formed a blue orb in his hands and shot it at Glaceon. The ice Eeveelution opened her mouth and a light blue ball formed in front of her. She then fired beams of ice from the orb at the two attacks freezing them. The frozen attacks slammed on to the battlefield and shattered which covered the battlefield in shards of ice. Glaceon then released a powerful Blizzard at Electivire and Vaporeon. The intense frozen wind propelled the shards of ice on the battlefield and they pelted Electivire and Vaporeon which combined with the Blizzard sent them flying into the arena wall. They both quickly got up but looked worse for wear. As they watched their Pokémon being beaten again Misty and Rudy were becoming even more annoyed at what was happening.

"Thunderbolt." Rudy yelled

"Shadow Ball." Misty growled.

"Dig to dodge then use Frozen Shadows."

Electivire began charging electricity and Vaporeon formed a ball of black energy in front of his mouth. The attacks were then shot at Glaceon but she had already dug underground so the attacks passed harmlessly over the hole. The ground behind Vaporeon and Electivire shook and Glaceon burst out of the ground. She then formed several orbs of black energy and shot an Ice Beam at them to freeze them. The now frozen orbs were then fired at Electivire and Vaporeon. The attacks slammed into their backs making them collapse. Glaceon walked to Vaporeon and lifted his head with her tail forcing Vaporeon to look at her. He saw the smug look on Glaceon's face which enraged Vaporeon who managed to get back to his feet and he swung his tail at Glaceon. But she easily jumped over Vaporeon's tail and her tail turned metallic. She then slammed her tail down on Vaporeon's head which knocked the water Eeveelution out.

"Vaporeon is unable to battle."

Before the referee could continue Ash cut him off.

"Finish Electivire with Frost Smash."

Glaceon became encased in ice and she ran full speed at Electivire who had struggled back to his feet. He looked up just in time to see Glaceon charging at him. He tried to avoid the attack but was too slow and Glaceon rammed into his abdomen. The power of the attack made Electivire collapse falling face first on to the battlefield. He tried to push himself up but his arms gave way and he finally lost the battle with consciousness.

"Electivire is also unable to battle. Misty and Rudy choose your last Pokémon"

Rudy and Misty were furious. Takeo was humiliating them just like he had done to Gary.

"Misty calls Togekiss."

"Go Starmie."

"Good job Glaceon return. Blastoise may the Aura guide you."

Blastoise appeared on the field and smirked the moment he saw Starmie. He was thrilled that he'd be able to beat it again..

"Starmie Thunderbolt."

"Togekiss Aura Sphere."

"Send them back with Rapid Spin."

Starmie started spinning around and released a powerful bolt of electricity at the same time Togekiss formed an orb of blue energy on her wing and propelled the orb at Blastoise. As the attacks got closer to Blastoise he withdrew into his shell and started spinning incredibly fast. The attacks hit Blastoise but were deflected away and were headed straight back at Starmie and Togekiss. Neither Pokémon was quick enough to dodge and Starmie was badly shocked by the electricity and was now staggering around. Togekiss wasn't in much better shape as her Aura Sphere had struck her left wing which had damaging it and caused her to descend slightly.

"Hyper Beam." Rudy and Misty yelled.

"Let's put them out of their misery. Finish it with Hydro Cannon."

Starmie and Togekiss formed an orange orb in front of themselves and fired a massive orange beam from them at Blastoise who fired two powerful orbs of water from the cannons on his back. The orbs of water met the two Hyper Beams and easily pushed them back. Starmie and Togekiss struggled to maintain the attacks but eventually it became to much and they were forced to stop firing the Hyper Beams. Without anything to stop them the orbs of water then slammed into Starmie and Togekiss and they crashed into the arena wall. Surprisingly they managed to get back up although Togekiss was leaning heavily on Starmie.

"I admire their tenacity. But they should have stayed down. Blastoise hit them both with a Mega Punch."

Both of Blastoise fists glowed white and he charged at Starmie and Togekiss. He slammed his right fist into Starmie's jewel which created a large crack in the gemstone. Starmie felt immense pain as it's jewel cracked causing Starmie to pass out. Blastoise then used his left fist to hit Togekiss with an uppercut which sent her high into the air and she crashed down next to Misty unconscious. Ash and Blastoise were slightly saddened that they had had to give Togekiss such a beat down as they had known her when she was just a baby. They hadn't wanted to inflict anymore pain on her but she wouldn't give up so they had to do it.

"Starmie and Togekiss are unable to battle. Takeo Hayashi advances to the next round."

The stadium erupted with cheers and applause for Ash. Misty and Rudy stood there demoralised. They couldn't believe they'd been humiliated so badly.

Ash returned Blastoise and walked over to the dejected traitor opposite him.

"What do you want Hayashi?" Misty mumbled.

Ash smirked at the devastation in her voice.

"I just came to say that I told you you'd pay for what you've done Misty." Ash took a couple of steps away and then turned back to her. "Oh and by the way it's not over for you yet. Take a look behind you."

Misty and Rudy both turned around and saw Lance as well as several of the G-Men.

"You see Misty the Pokémon League is a bit strict when it comes to berating a Pokémon and then smashing its Pokéball So I'm guessing that after what you've done to Lapras they'll take the Gym, your Pokémon and they might even throw you in prison too."

Misty collapsed to her knees and broke down crying knowing what he said is true. She'd let her anger get the better of her as usual and this time it could cost her the things she cares about more than anything. She didn't fight back when she felt hands grab her and lead her away. Rudy tried to push through to get to Misty but the G-Men wouldn't let him through. Ash watched as she was taken away with a smirk on his face.

"Another one bites the dust." Ash muttered.

Ash turned around and walked down the tunnel and headed to the locker room to get Dawn. He had been thrown by Dawn's confession and was now wondering what he should do about it. He then had to find out if Lapras was okay and why she was with Misty.

* * *

Notes

So I'm expecting a few people flaming me for Misty's OOC behaviour or what I did to Dawn but I don't care. By the way I don't hate Misty, Gary or any of the other traitors.

Please give a review telling me what you liked/didn't like.

If you have any questions PM them to me. I am more than happy to answer them.

Combo moves

Thunder Blast – Thunder Punch + Focus Blast

Flare Impact – Flare Blitz + Giga Impact

Frozen Shadows – Shadow Ball + Ice Beam

Frost Smash – Equivalent of Flare Blitz, Volt Tackle etc.


	6. Freedom

Thank you everyone who took the time to review. Chapter 5 is the most reviewed chapter so far and just wanted to say that I really appreciate it.

Here's chapter 6 I hope you enjoy.

In conversations:

'- Translation of Poké Speech – No human unless otherwise stated can understand it. Ash can understand it due to his Aura.

"- Human speech

"**- Telepathy**

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

* * *

Ash got to the locker room Dawn was in and knocked on the door.

"W-who is it?" Dawn asked shakily. Ash once again felt sorry for Dawn as he heard the fear in her voice

"Dawn it's Takeo." Ash replied softly.

The door was quickly unlocked and opened allowing Ash to enter the room. He walked inside and Dawn lunged at him and wrapped her arms around him. Ash returned the embrace and felt Dawn shaking in his arms as well as her tears dampening his shirt. After a couple of minutes her shaking stopped and she was now only whimpering. Ash pulled back a bit so he could look into Dawn's eyes which were bloodshot and as Ash thought now turning black.

"Dawn can I ask you a question?"

"Yeah."

"Were you telling the truth earlier when you were talking about Ash Ketchum?"

"Yes." Dawn dropped her gaze to the ground.

Ash lifted her chin up and saw the guilt and regret in her eyes. It was obvious that she was indeed telling the truth. Ash smiled and lowered his hood making Dawn's eyes widen and she let out a gasp.

"Ash." She said in disbelief.

He gave her a small nod in return. She wrapped her arms around Ash again and a fresh batch of tears now broke out. As she cried Ash kept a tight hold on her and he channelled some Aura into his hand. He placed his hand on the back of Dawn's head and the Aura transferred to her which quickly healed her injuries.

"Ash I-I'm s-so sorry." She whimpered not noticing what Ash had done.

"It's okay Dawn. I understand that you had no choice."

She looked up at Ash with tears in her eyes but she had a smile on her face. It then that she realised her injuries were no longer hurting. She put a hand to her lip and found that it wasn't split now. She then touched the area around her eyes and found that they weren't sore or swollen now.

"Ash what did you do?" She asked.

"I just healed your injuries with my Aura. But my Aura can't fix your hair." Ash said.

Dawn looked in a mirror on the wall and almost screamed when she saw the state her hair was in. She quickly rummaged through her bag and pulled out a hairbrush. Ash chuckled as he watched Dawn desperately try to fix her hair

"Come on Dawn your hair looks fine." Ash said.

"Fine's not good enough."

Ash shook his head as he remembered how long Dawn could take.

"Okay I have to get Lapras checked by Nurse Joy for any injuries. So meet me at the Pokémon Centre."

Ash opened the door and was about to leave when he felt Dawn grab on to his arm.

"Wait Ash please just give me one more minute. Tracey, Brock and Gary came to watch this match and I'm scared at what will happen if they find me. So please don't leave me." Dawn pleaded.

"Fine you have one minute then I'm leaving."

Dawn nodded and after her minute was up she followed Ash out of the locker room. They left the stadium and began walking to the Pokémon centre.

* * *

Ash and Dawn walked inside the Pokémon Centre and noticed the that the T.V was on. They looked at the screen and saw Ash's battle with Misty and Rudy was the big news. They were showing several moments from the battle. They listened to the reporter and kept watching seeing Misty smashing Lapras' Pokéball

"Moments after the battle ended Ms Waterflower was arrested however the G-Men refused to release any more information but we will keep you up to date. In other news moment's ago Paul Shinji and Max Maple advanced to the next round. Although from what early reports have told us Mr Shinji did the majority of the damage. In fact we have a clip from the battle." The reporter said as the screen cut to the match.

"Gallade is unable to battle. Max choose your last Pokémon" The referee said.

Ash was sure he could hear Paul growl in annoyance. They watched as Paul glared at Max who was grinning at Pikachu.

"Go on Pikachu let's win this." Max said enthusiastically.

"Wonderful you're putting all your faith in a weak little rat." Paul's words were dripping with sarcasm.

Ash chuckled at Paul words wishing that he could have been there to experience that moment first hand.

"Shut up Paul. We'll show you who's weak. Pikachu Volt Tackle."

"Emboar Flare Blitz." Their opponent said in a bored tone.

Pikachu was surrounded with electricity and Emboar became engulfed in flames. They charged full speed at each other and when the attacks collided Pikachu was easily overpowered and crashed down next to Max.

"You are so damn useless. I'd be better off fighting on my own." Paul yelled at Max. "Torterra Earthquake."

"No you can't. You'll hurt Pikachu." Max said desperately.

Paul smirked. "That's my intention hopefully it will get your useless rat out of the way."

Ash watched as Torterra raised it's front legs and slammed them down on to the battlefield. The power of the attack appeared to shake the very stadium and it created several large cracks in the battlefield. To Ash's delight Pikachu fell down one of the cracks and was now holding on to a rock that was jutting out. Everyone in the stadium watched on shocked at what Paul had done to his own team mate. They were so stunned at his actions that they hadn't noticed that both of their opponents Pokémon had been knocked out by the attack.

"Torterra let's help Pikachu out of that hole. Leaf Storm."

The leaves on the tree on Torterra's back glowed green. A cyclone of leaves was then fired from the tree which was aimed at Pikachu. The mouse had no way to get out of the way so was trapped in the vortex. The cyclone then shot Pikachu high into the sky and then died down. Pikachu then plummeted to the ground and smashed down next to Max. Ash smirked as he saw Max with tears in his eyes pick up Pikachu who was unconscious and had several cuts on his body from the leaves.

After that the news cut away and they started talking about the other matches that had ended. Ash and Dawn stopped watching the T.V and Ash walked over to Nurse Joy.

"Hey can you take a look at Lapras for me. She has been abused by Ms Waterflower over the past six years and I wanna make sure she's okay."

"Okay I'll take a look at her. Although it may take a while."

"All that matters is that she is okay. Do you mind if I leave her here with you while I go see if I can find a friend of mine?" Ash asked

"Sure that's no problem at all."

Ash sent Nurse Joy an appreciative look and turned around to leave. Dawn started walking alongside him but just as Ash was about to go outside he called out to Nurse Joy

"By the way don't tell anyone's Lapras is here. If you do tell someone it could put her in danger."

Nurse Joy gave Ash a nod in response and she took Lapras to one of the recovery rooms as Ash and Dawn left the Pokémon Centre.

"Hey Takeo where are we going?" Dawn asked

"To meet up with Anabel. Her match will probably be finished soon."

"Um Takeo who's Anabel?"

"Oh sorry I forgot that you never met her. She is a member of the Battle Frontier and more importantly she is my girlfriend." Ash said while smiling

Dawn's eyes widened again. The last time she had seen Ash he was oblivious to love.

"I can see that you're surprised. Well I kinda of faked the whole oblivious thing. I just didn't want the hassle of telling girls I didn't feel the same way."

Dawn stayed silent after this and just followed Ash as he was walked to stadium three. When they got there Ash told Dawn to wait outside so he could explain the situation to Anabel. She reluctantly agreed once they found a hidden area she could hide while she waited. Ash entered the stadium and saw Anabel and Sabrina headed his way. He walked up to the pair.

"Hi Anabel, Sabrina."

"Hi Takeo." Anabel said as she wrapped her arms around him.

"Hello Ash." Sabrina said.

"Wait how did you know that Takeo is Ash?" Anabel asked.

Sabrina looked at Anabel almost guiltily.

"Well we communicated through Telepathy during the battle and during those exchanges a few of your memories were revealed. I apologise."

"Don't worry about it Sabrina. I know you didn't do it intentionally." Anabel said.

"Yeah Sabrina it's no problem. So so how did your match go?" Ash asked.

"We won. A combination of Anabel's Espeon and my Alakazam was too much for them to handle."

"That's great news. Hey Sabrina. I was just wondering how Haunter was doing."

"Why don't you ask him." Sabrina said while looking to Ash's right.

The ghost type appeared next to Ash and a bomb exploded in his face. Ash and Haunter burst out laughing.

'Hey Ash.' Haunter said.

"Hi Haunter I see you're still the prankster I knew. Are you having fun with Sabrina?"

'Yeah I am although she's still a bit boring sometimes.'

Sabrina shot a glare at the ghost.

"Sorry I haven't come to visit you. I promise I will make time to come see you in the future." Ash said.

Haunter nodded happy that he'd seen his old friend and was looking forward to their next meeting. He disappeared into thin air again and Sabrina after saying a quick farewell left the stadium. Ash briefly brushed his lips against Anabel's.

"Congratulations on winning Anabel. I'm sorry I didn't get to see your match but it's been a bit of a crazy hour."

"Well that sounds interesting. So what has happened?"

Ash proceeded to tell Anabel everything that had happened.

"Poor Dawn and Lapras. They've both been through so much." Anabel said. "Where is Dawn?"

"She's waiting outside. Do you want to meet her now?"

Anabel nodded and they walked out of the stadium. Anabel looked around not seeing anyone.

"Dawn you can come out now." Ash called out.

Dawn came out from hiding and walked to Ash and Anabel. Dawn wasn't really sure how Anabel would react to seeing her. The last time they met she had been horrible to her so she was prepared to be slapped and yelled at. Anabel took a step towards Dawn who shut her eyes expecting to feel a familiar stinging in her cheek. But to her surprise she felt a pair of arms wrap around her. Dawn's eyes shot open and she saw that Anabel was actually hugging her.

"How? How can you both forgive me so easily?" Dawn asked as tears formed in her eyes. She felt Ash place a hand on her shoulder and she looked up at him.

"Because in your place we both would have done the exact same thing." Ash said.

* * *

After Dawn calmed down the trio headed back towards the Pokémon Centre. Ash was in front as Dawn and Anabel chatted behind him. He had to admit he was relieved to see that Anabel and Dawn were getting along so well. He had been worried that after what had happened Anabel would be reluctant to be around Dawn. But they were talking like they'd been friends for years.

They arrived at the Pokémon Centre and walked inside. They went up to Nurse Joy and Anabel handed her Pokéballs to her. Ash asked if he could take Lapras and was told that she only needed to do a couple more tests just to make sure that she healthy. The trio went and sat at a table. Ash and Anabel talked about their battles while they waited for the Pokémon to be healed. Ash was really impressed with some of the strategies Anabel and Sabrina had come up with to defeat Erika and Jasmine. After spending a long time talking they finally heard Nurse Joy call out their names. They got up and went to Nurse Joy who handed Anabel's Pokéballs and Lapras' Pokéball back to them.

"So how is Lapras?" Ash asked.

"Well it seems that there is no permanent damage to Lapras." Nurse said.

"That's a relief thanks Nurse Joy."

Ash, Anabel and Dawn left the Pokémon centre. Ash and Anabel took Dawn with them to the clearing so that she and Lapras could meet everyone. Ash and Anabel let out all of their Pokémon and they all glared at Dawn who hid behind Ash.

"What da hell is the Sinnoh twerpette doing here?" Meowth asked.

Ash told everyone what had happened to her and they felt sorry for her. Most of the Pokémon forgave her for what she had done as she had no choice. The only exceptions were Charizard, Meowth, Meganium, Infernape and Donphan who needed a little time before they would forgive her as they were still wary of her after the betrayal.

"Oh and I have an old friend to introduce to you guys." Ash said

Ash let Lapras out of her Pokéball Charizard and Blastoise immediately came over and introduced her to everyone of Anabel's and Ash's Pokémon. She froze Meowth with an Ice Beam when she heard him talk which caused everyone to laugh at the cat. Ash got Charizard to melt the ice and he told Lapras about Team Rocket. She looked down guiltily and apologised to Meowth repeatedly afterwards.

"Forget it. Let's just call dat payback for everything I did to you guys in da Orange Islands."

Lapras perked up again as she seemed happy with that. Ash was happy to see that she was getting along with the other's really well. She appeared to really bonding with Milotic possibly due to them both suffering abuse in the past. Ash walked over to Lapras and gently stroked her neck. She sighed happily and nuzzled Ash.

"Hey are you okay?" Ash asked still concerned about her condition.

'I am now thanks.' Lapras replied.

"I know this might be hard for you to talk about but how did you end up with Misty? Last time I saw you you had gone back to your family."

'Well it started out as a normal day and then everything changed...'

* * *

_Flashback (Approx six and a half years ago)_

_Lapras is happily swimming with the rest of her family. She had been very happy being back with her family although in recent weeks she had started to really miss her old trainer but she would never say that out loud. She kept wondering where he was and how he was doing. _

_Suddenly she heard several of her family giving warning cries. She looked in the direction her family were glaring and saw a boat is speeding towards the them. She along with several of the other Lapras went in front of the rest of the family to protect them just in case the people coming were threats. As the boat got closer Ice Beam's and Hydro Pump's were now being charged and they were waiting for her word. She took another look at the boat which was now slowing down and she recognised the two humans. Lapras told the rest of them to stand down as they were no threat._

_Lapras swam forward to the boat to see them. As she got closer she noticed that Ash wasn't there making her wonder why Ash was not with them. Lapras stopped next to the boat and Tracey and Misty rubbed her head. She looked at them and saw they were both wearing worried expressions._

_"Lapras we need your help Ash is in trouble. I'm gonna need to put you in a Pokéball to bring you." Misty said frantically._

_Lapras was shocked that her former trainer was in danger. She was more than prepared to go with them so she could do everything she could to help him. Lapras said her goodbyes to her family and approached Misty tapping her head on the poke ball she had in her hand. As soon as Lapras was captured a sinister smirk appeared on Misty's face._

_"Let's go Tracey, we got what we came for." She said as the boat headed back to Trovita Island_

_Flashback over _

* * *

'Not long after I was sent out in Misty's gym. I asked about you and she started laughing evilly. Then she mocked me for believing her and proceeded to tell me what they did to you. She tried to make me fight for her but every time I refused then she'd get her Lanturn to shock me.'

Ash was shocked at how cruel Misty had become. Ash also felt miserable that another person he cared about had been hurt.

"I'm sorry you had to go through that Lapras. I should have known they'd go after you once I left." Ash said miserably.

'It's not your fault Ash. I don't blame you.' Lapras said while nuzzling him.

"Thanks Lapras." he hugged his friend glad to have her back. He then thought of something that troubled him.

"Oh Arceus if they went after you that means they could have gone for Pidgeot too. Do you know if any other Pokémon with them were being treated as you were?" Ash asked worried for Pidgeot.

'I'm sorry Ash but I don't know. I was never out long enough to talk to the other's.' Lapras said sadly.

"That's okay Lapras. There's no need to apologise "

Ash suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder. he turned around and saw Dawn with a look of sympathy and sadness.

"Dawn what's wrong?" Ash asked.

"Ash I'm so sorry but Brock has Pidgeot. Brock said he convinced Pidgeot that you were in trouble and she came along without any resistance."

Ash was silent until what Dawn said sunk in.

"Fuck!" he yelled.

He fell to his knees seconds later and started punching the ground.

"Those fuckers got her too. Damn it I failed another person I care about."

First Anabel, then Lapras and now Pidgeot. How many more would suffer because of him? He felt Anabel wrap her arms around him and although her presence was calming for him it did nothing to quell the intense pain and sense of guilt he felt. Everyone looked at Ash and were saddened that he blamed himself for this. What was worse was that they knew that he would keep doing so even if Pidgeot herself said it wasn't his fault.

"How are we going to get her back?" Ash said more to himself than anyone else.

"Listen Ash we can think about this tomorrow after we get our schedule's for the next round. That way you can talk with Paul and Richie about this. Besides it's too late to be thinking of something now." Anabel said hoping Ash would agree.

"Okay Anabel. I guess you're right." he said with a sigh. "Hey Dawn are you staying in the same hotel as the Brock and the other's?"

"Yes I am. I can't go back there." she said in a fear filled voice.

Ash picked up his bag and looked through it eventually finding the key to his room in the Elenion. He handed the key to Dawn who looked at the key bemused.

"Dawn this is the room key to the hotel I was staying in. The hotel is called the Elenion. Don't worry we'll walk you to the hotel." Dawn looked relieved at Ash's words.

Darkness was now falling so Ash and Anabel escorted Dawn to the Elenion and then went back to their hotel. Anabel quickly fell to sleep in Ash's arms however Ash couldn't join her in slumber. His thoughts were constantly on Pidgeot but after a couple of hours tiredness took over and he fell to sleep. But even in sleep he couldn't escape from his thoughts on Pidgeot and Ash was haunted with nightmares of Pidgeot being tortured by Brock and the other's.

* * *

The next morning Ash and Anabel went to the Elenion to pick up Dawn and then the trio walked to the Pokémon centre so Ash and Anabel could pick up their schedule's for for this round. They hoped they'd meet up with Paul and Richie so they can discuss the best course of action to take against Brock. When the building was in sight Ash noticed Richie and Paul waiting them for them.

"About time you showed." Paul grumbled.

"Good morning to you to Paul. By the way nice going against Pikachu yesterday." Ash replied with a smirk.

"I would have done more but I didn't want to put Pikachu in ICU before you got a shot at him."

Paul then spotted Dawn out of the corner of his eye.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Paul yelled.

Dawn quickly hid behind Ash as Paul and Richie glared at her and Sparky's cheeks started crackling.

"Wait guys she isn't one of them." Ash said. Richie looked confused and Paul snorted.

"Just give me a minute and I'll explain."

Richie and Paul listened as Ash explained what had happened. Once he finished Richie like Ash and Anabel understood why she did it and wasted no time in offering his support. Paul understood too but he wasn't about to let her off the hook like the others had done. Ash glanced at Paul and knew that he wouldn't forgive that easily but he would given time. Ash turned his attention to Richie.

"By the way nice win yesterday Richie." Ash said trying to shift the attention away from Dawn.

It was a good match but we won pretty easily. Anyway how's Lapras I saw what happened yesterday?"

"Considering everything Misty's put her through in the last five years she's doing well."

"So what was she doing with that psychotic bitch." Paul asked.

"She tricked her into thinking I was in trouble. Dawn told me that Brock's done the same thing to Pidgeot." Richie, Sparky and Paul were enraged at what those scum had done.

"So what's the plan?" Richie asked.

"I don't know yet. First things first let's see if any of us drew him this round. If one of us has that'll make things a lot easier. If not we'll have to come up with a plan to get her back."

They walked inside and went up to Nurse Joy. She handed each of them their schedules telling them that this round it was regular double battles where both trainers have four Pokémon The group nodded and thanked Nurse Joy. Then they looked at who they'd be fighting. Anabel had been drawn against Lucy making it a battle between the Brains. Richie was going to be battling Agatha and Paul was up against Brandon. A look of relief broke out on Ash's face.

"Looks like we won't be needing that plan." Ash said with a grin.

"Wait what will you do if Brock doesn't use Pidgeot?" Anabel asked.

Silence took over as everyone started thinking of what they could do. Ash then heard Mewtwo's voice in his head

"**Do not worry if that vermin doesn't reveal Pidgeot in the battle I shall deal with him."**

"It's okay guys. We have a plan now just in case Brock doesn't use Pidgeot."

"Mewtwo?" Richie said.

Ash nodded in response and smirks broke out on his, Richie, Sparky and Paul's faces. Anabel looked glad that they had a way to get Pidgeot back. Dawn on the other hand was confused wondering who or what a Mewtwo was.

"I'll explain later." Ash said to Dawn.

After that they left the Pokémon centre. Paul and Richie said they were going to have some practice matches to prepare for tomorrow and Ash, Anabel and Dawn went to the clearing. Once back at the clearing the Pokémon swarmed around their trainers to find out who they were fighting.

"Listen everyone tomorrow we're against Brock. So we should be able to save Pidgeot easily."

Everyone looked relieved that they'd be able to help Pidgeot relatively easily. Ash pointed to three of his Pokémon.

"I'm using you three against Brock." the Pokémon looked at him bemused.

"Hey boss don't ya need four Pokémon for this round?"

"Pidgeot will be my fourth." Ash said confidently.

* * *

The next day Ash walked into the stadium determined to save Pidgeot no matter the cost. He saw the man he once saw as a brother across from him. Up in the stands Anabel and Dawn were watching both hoping that Brock would use Pidgeot so that Ash could get her back.

"This match is a double battle where each trainer has 4 Pokémon. In the Green box we have Brock Slate the Pewter City Gym Leader and in the Red we have the mysterious Takeo Hayashi. Green side shall choose his Pokémon first."

"Go Golem and Pidgeot."

'"Lucario, Luxray may the Aura guide you."

"Golem use Earthquake and Pidgeot use Aerial Ace on Lucario."

"Both of you use Magnet Rise. Luxray follow up with Signal Beam on Golem and Lucario brace for impact."

Golem stomped the ground which started shaking however the tremors were nothing compared to the ones made by Charizard and Torterra. Golem smirked expecting to deal massive damage to his opponents but when he looked up he saw that Luxray and Lucario were levitating in the air on a platform made of electricity. A white ball then formed in front of Luxray, he then fired a rainbow coloured beam out of the orb at Golem. The attack dealt some damage but unfortunately it did not confusing his target. Meanwhile Pidgeot shot towards Lucario at an incredible speed. Lucario watched her coming and extended his arms and grabbed hold of the flying type.

"Pidgeot." Ash yelled.

Upon hearing her name Pidgeot glared at Ash.

"Stop you don't have to fight for him anymore."

'Shut up human. Brock is my master.'

Ash was taken aback by the tone Pidgeot just used. Seeing that he had no other choice Ash lowered his hood hoping that she would recognise him. Once they saw Ash's face everyone in the stadium gasped. Ash ignored everyone and focussed on Pidgeot who was still glaring at him.

"Pidgeot it's me Ash. Please stop fighting." Ash pleaded.

As Ash continued to beg Pidgeot to stop listening to Brock the Pewter gym leader quickly got over his shock at finding out that Takeo was Ash. He heard Ash's pleads and smirked.

"Go ahead plead all you want. It will do you no good." Brock yelled mockingly at Ash.

Ash looked strangely back at Brock as he thought about what he meant. He glanced back to Pidgeot and then saw the collar around her neck. He had seen similar one's several times before while he was tracking down Team Rocket. The collars took control of whoever was wearing it which basically took away their free will. The owner of the collar had a remote that gave them complete control over the wearer.

"Pidgeot break away and use Air Cutter and Golem use Hyper Beam."

"Luxray use your Hyper Beam and Lucario use your Aura shield."

Both Pokémon formed a orange orb in his mouth and fired a powerful beam from it. The Hyper Beam's clashed however Luxray's was much more powerful and he easily overpowered Golem's Hyper Beam. Luxray's Hyper Beam slammed into Golem which caused some major damage. Golem managed to stand again but he was clearly on his last legs. As this was happening Lucario had crossed his arms in front of him creating a blue shield made of Aura. Pidgeot then flapped her wings and released several blades of wind at Lucario. But the Aura shield protected Lucario from the violent winds being shot his way and when the attack died sown he dropped the shield completely unharmed.

"Guys switch targets. Lucario use Frozen Combat and Luxray use Thunderbolt and manipulate so it hits the collar around Pidgeot's neck. Remember we don't want to hurt her."

"Both of you dodge." Brock yelled.

Lucario leapt down form his platform of electricity and charged at Golem. As he ran both of his fists became encased in ice. Seconds later Lucario was in front of Golem and started throwing several kicks and punches at him. Golem who is slow at the best of times had no chance to dodge the relentless assault he was being subjected to. The sheer ferocity of the attack was too much for the already injured Golem and he fainted. Up in the sky Pidgeot was dodging Luxray's attempts to hit the collar around her neck. Her flying speed and agility was making it difficult for Luxray to hit the collar without hurting Pidgeot. Eventually Luxray managed to predict where she was going to be and arced his Thunderbolt at that spot. His guess was right and his Thunderbolt struck the collar which caused the circuits in the collar to overload. Ash watched with a smile on his face as the collar disintegrated.

Pidgeot now free from the collar's control looked down and saw Ash. She flew down to him and nuzzled him making Ash laugh as her feathers tickled his skin. Ash stroked her neck at the same time and smiled happy to have his friend back. He looked over at Brock who was fuming.

"Seems that Pidgeot is no longer under your control Brock."

"You may have destroyed the collar but she's still mine." Brock growled.

Brock took out Pidgeot's Pokéball to return her. He raised his arm and pointed the Pokéball at Pidgeot. However just as he was about to return her a blue glow surrounded the Pokéball and it shattered into pieces.

"**Good job Mewtwo."**

"**It was no problem." **Mewtwo replied.

Brock looked at the shards of the Pokéball He shook with anger as he realised that he'd lost his best Pokémon

"You'll pay for that Ketchum." he snarled.

"I don't think I will Brocko." Ash then turned his attention back to Pidgeot.

"Hey Pidgeot do you wanna battle with me again?"

She nodded happily. Ash took out a spare Pokéball and she tapped it with her beak. They looked up at the board that now showed that Brock was down to two Pokémon

"Go Torterra and Swampert."

"Return you two. Now time for revenge, Pidgeot and Donphan may the Aura guide you."

Donphan and Pidgeot appeared on the battlefield and glared at Brock and his Pokémon Torterra and Swampert were unnerved by the glares that Donphan and Pidgeot were giving them..

"Torterra use Energy Ball and Swampert use Hydro Pump on Pidgeot."

"Donphan wait for the right moment and use Stone Edge then follow up with Rollout. Pidgeot use Air Cutter to cut through the water then charge at him with Brave Bird."

Donphan knew what Torterra was about to do as he had witnessed Meganium do the same thing several times before. He waited until Torterra formed the green orb and then two rings of glowing white rocks formed around him. Donphan quickly fired the rocks at the Energy Ball and when the stones collided with the orb it caused the Energy Ball to blow up in Torterra's face. Donphan then got into a ball and rolled at Torterra who shot a stream of leaves at Donphan in an attempt to defend himself. However Donphan easily dodged the leaves and rammed into Torterra's face making the Continent Pokémon stagger back. Donphan wasn't finished yet, he proceeded to slam into Torterra's left flank and then his right side making Torterra collapse as he tried to recover.

Meanwhile Swampert opened his mouth and fired a powerful stream of water at Pidgeot. Pidgeot saw the water headed towards her and flapped her wings incredibly quickly again. She fired several blades of wind straight at the stream of water easily slicing through it. Pidgeot then tucked her wings in and then hurtled straight at Swampert, she slammed into him which did some damage and knocked him back. The only thing that stopped him from being propelled into the wall was that he had dug his feet into the ground which had taken some of the power out of the attack.

Donphan and Pidgeot took their places back in front of Ash and smirked at the damage they had done.

"It's time to finish this guys."

Donphan looked disappointed at this.

"Come on Donphan. I'll give you all the time you want against one of the other traitors. But right now I want to make sure that the collar hasn't done any serious damage to Pidgeot. We've seen the damage those things can do."

He nodded in understanding, he too wanted to make sure Pidgeot would be okay and the prospect of having all the time he wanted to crush one of the traitors convinced him.

"Alright Pidgeot use Hurricane on Swampert and Donphan use Fire Fang on Torterra's tree. Then both of you end it with Hyper Beam."

"Torterra use Frenzy Plant and Swampert use Hydro Cannon."

Donphan charged at Torterra who glowed green and slammed his front feet on the ground. Several giant roots with some painful looking spikes on them burst out of the ground and tried to ensnare Donphan. But Donphan easily dodged all of the roots thanks to his training with Meganium. When he was just inches away for Torterra Donphan leapt into the air and landed on Torterra's back. Donphan's mouth then became covered in flames and he bit down on the tree on Torterra's back. Torterra roared in pain and he collapsed as he tried to deal with the immense pain he was feeling. Donphan then jumped off Torterra's back and hit him with another Rollout which sent him crashing into the arena wall. Swampert then fired a powerful orb of water at Pidgeot however she easily dodged it and then her wings glowed light blue. She then flapped her wings which released a fierce wind that sent the immobile Swampert flying straight into the wall next to Torterra.

Pidgeot and Donphan then formed an orange orb and they both fired a powerful beam from the orbs straight at Torterra and Swampert. The Hyper Beam's hit Swampert and Torterra who cried out in pain before fainting.

"Swampert and Torterra are unable to battle Takeo Haya.. I mean Ash Ketchum wins."

Brock was incredibly pissed off. Not only had he lost his best Pokémon but he'd been humiliated by Ketchum. Brock then realised it would be best if he tried to flee before people start asking questions about the collar. He turned to run but was confronted by a very angry Donphan. Brock took a couple of steps away from Donphan he then felt hands on his shoulders. He looked behind him and saw two of the G-men. Ash strolled over to Brock and stood in front of the enraged man.

"Did you really think you'd get away with what you've done Brock. That collar you put on Pidgeot links you with Team Rocket." Ash smirked as Brock tried to lunge forward but was held in place by the G-Men. "By the way say hi to Giovanni when you see him in jail."

The G-Men then started dragging Brock away as he yelled a series of insults at Ash.

"Three down, three to go." Ash muttered

Ash looked down the tunnel and saw several reporters waiting for him.

"Hey Pidgeot do you think you can fly me out of here?" Ash asked.

'Sure.'

Pidgeot leant down allowing Ash to get on her back. Ash returned Donphan and jumped on to Pidgeot's back. She let out a loud screech and then shot off to the disappointment of many.

* * *

Notes

Please give a review telling me what you liked/didn't like.

If you have any questions PM them to me. I am more than happy to answer them.

Combo moves

Frozen Combat – Double Ice Punch + Close Combat.


	7. Reunions and Memories

Thank you everyone who took the time to review. I really appreciate it.

Here's chapter 7 I hope you enjoy.

In conversations:

'- Translation of Poké Speech – No human unless otherwise stated can understand it. Ash can understand it due to his Aura.

"- Human speech

"**- Telepathy**

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

* * *

Pidgeot landed outside the Pokémon Centre minutes later. Ash returned her and he walked inside hoping Nurse Joy wasn't busy so she could take a look at Pidgeot. Once inside the Pokémon Centre he saw a woman he hadn't seen for about a year and a smile broke out on his face. The woman's head shot up and she looked to the doors when she heard them open. Her eyes lit up as she saw Ash enter. The woman got up walked over to him and hugged him.

"Ash I've missed you." she said

"I've missed you too mum." Ash replied.

He hugged his mother happy to see her again. He hadn't seen her since he'd left to train on Mt Quena with Mewtwo and the clones. Of course he still kept in touch with her with regular calls but it was nice to her face to face again.

"What are you doing here? I thought you'd have watched the tournament on T.V."

"Well I saw you competing and I had to come see you. Why didn't you tell me you were participating in this?"

Ash dropped his head in shame. He'd gotten so wrapped up in getting his revenge on his former friends that he'd forgotten to just call his mother to tell her what was going on.

"I'm sorry mum. I got so caught up with them being here that I forgot." he said guiltily.

"It's okay I understand how their presence could do that."

Ash smiled at his mother's forgiving nature.

"So how have you, Mimey and Ariana been since I last called?"

"We've been fine. Although Ariana has missed you a lot."

"Where is Ariana?"

Just then Ash felt a pair of arms wrap around him. He looked down and saw Ariana. She hadn't changed much in the past year. She still had her shoulder-length black hair, her skin like his is lightly tanned, and she has dark green eyes. The only real change is that she had grown a bit probably standing just over five foot.

"Hey Ariana how are you?"

"Ash I missed you so much this year."

Ash saw tears forming in her eyes and got down on to his knees pulling her into a tight hug. He could feel her shaking in his arms as she let out her tears.

"I'm sorry but I promise I won't be training on top of any more mountains. So I'll be able to see you a lot more."

It didn't take long for Ariana's sobs to subside. She pulled back and had a massive smile on her face. Ash wiped away her tears and stood up. He picked her up and she giggled.

"So how have you been sis?" Ash asked.

"I've been doing great. Mum's been helping me with my training for the Battle Frontier." Ariana replied happily.

"You told me you were training your Pokémon to respond to whistles rather than verbal commands. Is it working?"

"Yeah it is and we're getting much better. I'm having to give verbal commands less and less and in a few months I think we'll have it perfected."

"That's great news. I'll just go hand Pidgeot to Nurse Joy so she can do a check-up on her and then we can properly catch up." Ash said.

Ash put Ariana back on the ground and walked over to Nurse Joy. As he handed Pidgeot to Nurse Joy he was certain he could his mother and Ariana whispering about something. Although he wasn't really that concerned about that. At the minute he was just hoping Nurse Joy would give Pidgeot the all clear. But he knew those collar's had caused serious damage in the past so he was worried for her. After Nurse Joy took Pidgeot's Pokéball and went to one of the back rooms Ash walked back to Ariana and his mother who stopped whispering.

"What were you two whispering about?" Ash asked.

Ash was surprised to see that they both looked nervous for some reason.

"There is someone else here to see you Ash. Now before you do anything just promise us you'll hear what he has to say first." Delia said.

He wasn't liking the sound of this but they were his family so he trusted them.

"Ok I promise."

Ash watched as his mother took a Pokéball out of her bag. He was curious who was inside as it couldn't be Mimey because he never went into his poke ball and to his knowledge she didn't have any other Pokémon.

"Come on out." Delia said as she opened the Pokéball

The Pokémon appeared in a flash of light. Once the light died down it showed a reptilian creature that somewhat resembles a toad or a young dinosaur with a spotted blue-green hide. He had three white toes growing out from each of his four legs. His irises are bright red while the rest of his eyes are white. The most notable feature of this Pokémon is the green onion-like bulb on its back.

"What the hell is HE doing here?!" Ash yelled angrily.

Ash glared at Bulbasaur. He had always thought Bulbasaur was one of his loyalist Pokémon but he too had betrayed him and now he stood before him. Had his mother and Ariana not been here he would have gone ballistic but he was only just controlling his rage. Ariana grabbed Ash's arm and his gaze soften as he looked at his sister.

"Ash you promised me and mum that you'd hear him out first. Riolu has told me the reason Bulbasaur turned on you that day. Please just listen to what he has to say."

Ash sighed. He did promise them and he kept his promises.

"I'm glad that you've finally mastered how to communicate with Riolu." Ash looked at Bulbasaur and let out another sigh. "Fine I'll listen to him but it better be a damn good reason. If it's not I'll get Charizard and let me tell you he'd love a reunion with you."

Bulbasaur nodded.

'Ash if you don't think my reason is good enough I will gladly stand here and let Charizard roast me.'

"Okay I'm listening."

'Well this is what happened..'

* * *

_F__lashback (A few hours before Ash arrived home after the Sinnoh League)_

_At Professor Oak's lab Bulbasaur was in the corral as usual. In one of his less diplomatic moments he had just hit with Heracross with a Solar Beam to stop him sucking the sap from his bulb again. Bulbasaur wished he would stop but knew that he wouldn't no matter how many Vine Whips, Razor Leaf's or Solar Beam's he hit Heracross with._

_But today nothing could get him down. He'd heard that May was in town which meant she'd bring back his mate. He also knew Ash would be back soon and he couldn't wait to see his trainer again._

_Bulbasaur then saw all of Ash's travel companions over the years coming into the corral. He walked to them and they asked him to round up all Ash's Pokémon. He nodded and went off to find everyone. When they were all gathered they looked expectedly at Ash's friends wondering what they wanted._

_"We've all decided to tell Ash that he should give up training since he clearly has no idea what he's doing." Misty said._

_Bulbasaur couldn't believe what he was hearing. These people were supposed to be Ash's friends and here they are berating him._

_"We know you are all very powerful but you are being wasted by Ash. We swear that if you to come with us we will help you reach you full potential." Brock added._

_Bulbasaur looked around and saw most of Ash's Pokémon nodding. A couple of them looked unsure of what to do possibly due to fear of what will happen if they don't side with the majority. Charizard, Donphan, Bayleaf and Infernape on the hand looked absolutely furious. Bulbasaur looked at Ash's so called friends and shook his head. He would not betray his friend like that, not after everything they had been through together. The human's watched Bulbasaur's reaction and then looked at May. The Co-Ordinator from Hoenn took a Pokéball out and sent out her Bulbasaur. Although Bulbasaur was still furious he couldn't stop a smile coming to his face as he saw his mate. Bulbasaur started walking towards his mate but then May stood between them. Bulbasaur growled angrily at May who knelt down._

"_She's going to have your child. So if you don't do as we say you'll never see her or your child." May whispered._

_Bulbasaur was torn between his friendship with Ash and his love for his mate. After a a few minutes of internal debate he hung his head in shame and reluctantly nodded showing he understood and agreed to their terms. Charizard roared in anger and disbelief that Bulbasaur had chosen to betray Ash._

_Bulbasaur looked at the humans and saw the evil grins plastered on their faces. They left the corral and gradually the Pokémon fled to their own parts of the corral not wanting to be near Charizard, Bayleaf, Donphan and Infernape. The only Pokémon left were the four Pokémon that were standing by Ash and Bulbasaur. Charizard, Bayleaf, Donphan and Infernape were all glaring at Bulbasaur._

_'Guys I'm sorry but you have to understand she's my mate.' Bulbasaur pleaded._

_'Save for someone who cares traitor.' Charizard snarled._

_'I always respected the loyalty and dedication you showed. But now I have no respect for you at all.' Bayleaf snapped._

_'To think I used to look up to you. You disgust me.' Donphan growled._

_'I may not have known you long but I always thought loyalty was the most important thing to you. It seems I misjudged you.' Infernape said in a disappointed tone._

_Bulbasaur felt tears prick his eyes at their biting comments because they were all true. He had just thrown away all of the self respect and honour he had. The four Pokémon that had chosen to stand by Ash started walking away leaving Bulbasaur all alone. Now Bulbasaur let the tears he had kept in flow and they trickled down his cheeks._

_Later that day Bulbasaur did as he was told and stood with the other's that had chosen to betray Ash. He nodded along with them and added his own fake glare and growl at the person he respected more than anyone else. He watched as Ash flew away on Charizard with tear's in his eyes and Bulbasaur had never felt more ashamed in his life._

_End flashback_

* * *

'I later learned that they had been lying. Bulbasaur wasn't going to have my child. She had been in on it the whole time but by the time I found out it was too late, you were gone.' Bulbasaur went silent.

Ash looked at his first grass type and could see the guilt in his eyes. Ash knew that had this been a few weeks ago he would have still been angry. But now that he was with Anabel he understood why Bulbasaur did what he did and if Ash had been in the same position he would have done the same. Ash knelt down to Bulbasaur's level. The grass type flinched and looked away not wanting to see the anger and hatred in Ash's eyes. He'd heard that Ash had mastered his Aura capabilities over the past seven years and Bulbasaur was expecting some form of Aura attack to be launched his way. But he knew he deserved it and he was prepared to pay for his betrayal.

Bulbasaur let out a surprised gasp as he felt Ash wrap his arms around him. He looked up at Ash who was smiling.

"I understand why you turned against me now. I forgive you Bulbasaur although the other's may not do so as easily though."

Bulbasaur nodded knowing that they would probably never forgive him for what he did. But he do anything he could to earn their friendship and respect back.

"Ok I'm gonna return you now. I promise we'll catch up later."

Ash returned Bulbasaur and looked happily at his Pokéball. Ash had always felt that Bulbasaur's betrayal had hurt the most (apart from the rat's) because he'd always thought he was one of his most loyal Pokémon. Ash was glad he now had him back. Ariana and Delia looked on happy that Ash had forgiven the grass type. They had both spent time with him for several weeks and they knew he was ashamed of what he'd done to Ash and wanted to make amends.

Ash placed Bulbasaur's Pokéball on his belt just as the doors to the Pokémon centre opened. Ash looked to the door and saw Richie and Sparky with triumphant grins on their faces.

"Hey Richie how did it go against Agatha?" Ask asked.

"I beat her again but damn her Gengar is tough. You know your battle with Brock is all over the news. So how's Pidgeot?"

"I don't know yet. I'm worried because those collar's are bad news."

Richie nodded as he had heard the stories of what the collars had done to Pokémon He then saw Delia and he shared a look with Sparky. They both nodded and now had a devious look on their faces as they looked to Delia and then to Ash.

"Hey Ash I have a friend called Thomas who is trying to beat the Battle Frontier."

"Ok well how's he doing?" Ash asked wondering why Richie had suddenly bought this up.

"Well he has the first five symbols. Scott keeps saying that he could fight Brandon for the Ability Symbol and the Brave Symbol. But he keeps refusing saying he wants to beat the Salon Maiden first." Richie paused and watched as Ash realised where he was going with this.

"Please Richie don't say it." Ash pleaded.

"So Ash do you think you can ask your _girlfriend_ to have a battle with him?" Richie and Sparky almost burst out laughing at the look of horror on Ash's face.

"Aw my Ash has a girlfriend." Delia said.

The look of horror on Ash's face had now intensified as his mother started bombarding him with questions. The question got more and more embarrassing. It became to much for Ash when she made a certain comment about his underwear.

"MUM!" Ash yelled feeling absolutely mortified.

Everyone laughed at the embarrassed trainer. Ash muttered a few curses under his breath directed mostly at Richie.

* * *

Meanwhile Anabel and Dawn were heading towards the Pokémon Centre to hopefully meet up with Ash. They were just casually strolling while talking. Suddenly a blue blur slammed into Anabel knocking her to the ground. Dawn knelt down next to Anabel hoping that she didn't get injured.

"Anabel are you okay?" Dawn asked concerned.

"Yeah I'm fine thanks." Anabel replied.

Anabel and Dawn then looked to the Pokémon now lying on Anabel's stomach. It was a small, blue, aquatic Pokémon with stubby feet and club-like arms that are longer than its body. It had a red gem on its chest and a yellow dot below the gem. Its onion-shaped head had a pair of long blue antennae, which have small spheres on the ends. Its irises were dark blue with yellow sclera, and there are two yellow dots of eyelash-like markings extending from the eyes.

"What Pokémon is that?" Dawn asked.

"I-I really don't know." Anabel replied.

"Mama." The mystery Pokémon said while looking at Anabel. Her eyes widened as she remembered a story Ash had told her after he beat Brandon.

"Wait a minute. I remember Ash telling me about a Pokémon that called him papa and May mama. I think it's name was Manaphy."

"So is Ash your papa?" Dawn asked.

Manaphy nodded.

"And May is your mama." Anabel added.

"No she no mama. You mama." Manaphy responded while still looking at Anabel.

Anabel smiled at Manaphy and cradled her in her arms. Manaphy sighed in content and snuggled into Anabel's embrace.

"Love you mama." Manaphy said.

Anabel was surprised by Manaphy's declaration but she only needed to take one look at Manaphy to know how she felt.

"Love you too Manaphy." Anabel said tenderly

Dawn started stroking Manaphy head. The Seafaring Pokémon seemed to enjoy the attention from both Anabel and Dawn.

"Come on then let's go find papa." Dawn said while stroking Manaphy.

"Yay papa make me happy."

Anabel gave Manaphy a small hug which she returned.

"Papa makes me happy too."

Dawn helped Anabel to her feet and they continued their journey to the Pokémon Centre. Dawn and Anabel were mostly paying attention to Manaphy who had fallen to sleep in Anabel's arms.

* * *

Back in the Pokémon Centre the laughing had died down and they were all now waiting to hear about Pidgeot. Ash jumped up from his seat when he saw Nurse Joy walking out. He went up to her praying that Pidgeot would be alright.

"So how is she?" Ash asked frantically.

"She will need some surgery around the area the collar was as there is some damage caused due to it being worn for so many years. But she'll be fine as there appears to be no permanent damage. If you come back for her in a few days she'll be ready."

Ash let out a massive sigh of relief. He was over the moon that the damage was minimal. He seen those collars cause a lot of damage, anything from neurological problems to in extreme cases death. Ash thanked Nurse Joy and began walking back to the other's.

"By the way all the competitors have a week off." Nurse Joy said.

"Why." Ash asked as he didn't understand why they'd take a break when they aren't even half way through the tournament.

"Because of the special event being held to promote Co-ordinating. The thing is over the past few years Co-ordinating has become less popular and there are not a lot of new faces are appearing. So the four best Co-Ordinators are having a tag team match."

"So who are the top four Co-Ordinators and who have they been partnered with?" Richie asked.

"The teams are May and Drew and they're against Ursula and Zoey."

"That's odd I expected Solidad to be one of the top four." Ash replied.

"Solidad retired a couple of years ago. She'd won all four Grand Festivals and decided to step aside to allow other's to shine." Ariana stated.

"Well if Solidad's won all of them I guess her retiring makes sense." Ash said.

The doors to the Pokémon centre then opened. Ash turned to look who it was when a small blue Pokémon slammed into him. Ash looked down at the Pokémon in his arms and smiled. Manaphy looked back with her dark blue eyes and a smile on her face.

"Papa." Manaphy said lovingly.

Anabel and Dawn then walked through the door and smiled at the scene.

"Hey Manaphy." Ash said as he gave Manaphy a hug.

"Love you papa."

"Love you too Manaphy."

Ash placed Manaphy in one arm and wrapped his other around Anabel who returned the embrace making sure not to crush Manaphy between them. They broke apart much to Manaphy's displeasure as she liked being held by her mama and papa.

"Anabel there's a couple of people I want you to meet." Ash said as he led Anabel to Delia. "Anabel, this my mother Delia Ketchum. Mum this is Anabel she's my girlfriend."

"Hello it's nice to finally meet you Mrs Ketchum." Anabel said politely

"Please call me Delia and it's nice to meet you too."

Ash then looked at Ariana.

"This is my little sister Ariana. She's a little shy so don't be offended if she shies away from you at first."

Anabel walked over to the young girl. She knelt down allowing Ariana to make the next move. Ariana stood still for a moment before walking up to Anabel with a smile on her face and she hugged Anabel. Although she usually was shy with people she figured that if Ash was in love with her then there is nothing to be afraid of. Ash was happy to see Ariana not being shy around Anabel. She usually was with other's when she first met them. She was shy with Richie at first and she was probably still terrified of Paul.

"I didn't think you had a sister Ash." Anabel said.

"Well Ariana isn't a sister by blood. Um it's kinda hard to explain without telling you the full story."

"Okay so how did you two meet?" Anabel asked.

Ash looked at Ariana and saw that the memories of that day were now on her mind. Ash passed Manaphy to Anabel and took three Pokéballs off his belt.

"Lucario, Luxray and Donphan come on out."

The trio of Pokémon appeared and instantly were hugged by Ariana.

"Hey can you guys take mum and Ariana to the clearing?"

'Of course master.' Lucario replied.

"Thanks." Ash said as he watched them leave.

It took a couple of moment for Ash to realise that Lucario had called him master again. Ash walked outside and he could just see Lucario in the distance.

"Lucario stop calling me master." He yelled.

Ash was certain he could hear Lucario chuckling as he walked back into the Pokémon Centre to find Richie, Sparky, Dawn and Anabel who were laughing. Manaphy was looking around confused at what was so funny and in the end just closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep again. When they saw Manaphy was asleep they quietened down and Anabel looked at Ash bemusedly.

"Ash why did you make your mother and Ariana leave?" Anabel queried.

"The thing is it is a very sad story. It always makes Ariana cry so that's why I wanted them to leave. Anyway this is what happened..."

* * *

_Flashback (5 years ago)_

_Ash had just started gathering information on Team Rocket so that he could take them down. He was currently in Sinnoh searching around the Mt Coronet area. So far he had discovered a small outpost so it seemed logical to him that a base must be somewhere in the area. After about an hour of searching Ash found what appeared to be the entrance to a facility. Ash still found it amazing how much influence Team Rocket had in Sinnoh. He had always assumed that they had only operated in Kanto and Johto but his travels had proven that they were a far greater threat than anyone thought._

_He stood watching the guards patrol route for half an hour and spotted an obvious gap where he could sneak through. As he was about to execute the plan he heard screams coming from the east. He couldn't ignore the terror filled screams and ran towards the source. He stopped in a clearing where he saw a young girl who could be no more than six running from a couple of Team Rocket grunts. The girl stumbled and fell to the floor. She tried to crawl away but one of the grunts grabbed her and picked her up._

"_Sorry kid it's nothing personal but we can't have you telling someone about what happened."_

_The grunt pulled out a knife and was about to stab the young girl until an Aura Sphere slammed into his gut sending him crashing back into a tree. The other grunt looked to where the attack had come from and spotted Ash. The grunt ignored the girl and now aimed a gun at Ash who shot forward and hit the grunt with an Aura infused punch that sent him crashing into his buddy knocking both of them out. Ash ran over to the girl who was now in the fetal position and sobbing uncontrollably. He knelt down next to the girl and pulled her into a hug._

"_Hey calm down. I've dealt with the bad men. They won't hurt you now."_

_The girl sobbed into his shirt. After a few minutes her sobs lessened._

"_Why were those men chasing you." Ash asked gently_

"_T-they k-k-killed my m-mummy and d-daddy." the girl said between sobs "I-I saw them h-hurting Pokémon so I-I ran home to tell my parents. The b-bad men followed me and broke our door down. My daddy told to run so I did."_

"_What's your name?" He asked_

"_M-my n-n-name is Ariana."_

"_Do you have any family or friends I can take you to?"_

_She just shook her head. Ash sighed sadly as he had no idea what to do now. If the girl had no other family he really had nowhere to take her. Maybe if he checked her house he could find something. Ash took Charizard, Flygon, Gardevoir, Luxray and Absol's Pokéballs out and sent them out. The Pokémon looked sadly at the sobbing girl wondering what happened._

"_Can you guys protect this girl while I'm gone. I'll explain the situation later."_

_The Pokémon nodded. Ash knelt down next to Ariana again._

"_Stay here with my Pokémon I'll go check out your house and see if I can find anything. Which way is your house?"_

_She pointed to the east._

"_Ok I'll be back soon."_

_It only took a couple of minutes to find the house which was actually a small farm. Ash walked in through the now destroyed door and looked around. He saw the bodies of what he assumed were Ariana's parents on the floor with multiple stab wounds in them. Ash walked over to them and found that the father was still alive. Ash knelt down next to the man._

"_How is Ari-Ari-Ariana?" the man asked as he coughed up some blood._

_Ash knew the man was dying and so did he. So Ash didn't try telling him to save his strength._

"_She is safe. I dealt with the Team Rocket grunts who were chasing her."_

_Ash watched as the man tried reaching out to his wife but she was just too far away. Ash got up and gently picked up his wife and placed her down next to him. The man grabbed her hand with his and held it as tight as he could._

"_P-please take c-care of Ari. W-we were the only f-family she had."_

"_I promise I'll watch over her."_

"_T-thank you." the man took his last breath and death finally took him._

_Ash closed the man and his wife's eyes._

"_Rest in peace and may your Aura lead you to a better place." he murmured._

_Ash started searching for anything Ariana might want to take with her. He was stood in Ariana's room and spotted a photo of her and her parents smiling. He took the photo as she would want something to remember them by. He also spotted a Riolu doll on her bed and decided to take that too just in case she wanted it. Ash managed to find out Ariana's parents names as he searched for anything. When he was done searching he went out back and found a shovel so that he could at least give Ariana's parents a proper burial._

_Ash piled the last bit of earth on to the grave he had dug. He had chosen to bury them together as Mark had taken his last breath with Catherine's hand in his. Ash put the tombstone he had made out of a boulder in front of the grave. Ash looked at the tombstone he had made and knew that it wasn't perfect but it was the best he could do. Maybe one day Ariana could come and choose something more fitting for her parents._

_Here lies Mark and Catherine Williams._

_Mother and father of Ariana._

_They were loving parents who were taken before their time._

"_I promise I'll make sure your daughter is kept safe." Ash murmured._

_Ash picked up the items he had taken from the house and walked back to where he had left Ariana and his Pokémon He walked into the clearing and saw Gardevoir cuddling the now sleeping Ariana. Ash returned all of his Pokémon except Gardevoir and took Ariana from her._

"_Gardevoir Teleport us to my mothers house please."_

_She nodded and placed her hand on Ash's shoulder. The trio then appeared in front of his mothers house._

"_Thank you Gardevoir." Ash said as he returned her._

_Ash knocked on the door hoping his mother was home. The door opened and Ash was relieved to see that it was his mum._

"_Hello Ash who's this?" Delia whispered._

"_It's a long story. Can we put her to bed first and then I'll explain everything."_

_Delia nodded and opened the door to the spare room. Ash placed Ariana on the bed and pulled the covers over her. Mother and son then went downstairs to let Ariana rest. Ash told the whole story to his mum who was shocked at what she had heard._

"_So mum can she stay here?"_

"_Of course she can. I'll do the best I can when you're not here."_

"_Thank you."_

_Ariana then walked into the kitchen and stared at Ash. Realisation then kicked in and tears started trickling down her cheeks._

"_I thought it was just a nightmare." she whimpered. Ash walked over to her and pulled her into a hug._

"_I'm sorry Ariana but it wasn't a nightmare. Listen I promised your father that I would take care of you and I will. This is my mum and she will be here for you too"_

_Ash let go of Ariana and his mother wasted no time in bringing Ariana into a tight hug. Ariana clung on to Delia and cried until she cried herself to sleep._

_Flashback end_

* * *

"I stayed for about a week so she could get used to me and mum. But then I had to go and continue my quest to destroy Team Rocket. I returned home a couple of months later when I had had finished searching Sinnoh and mum told me that Ariana had only just stopped having nightmares."

Richie and Sparky had heard the story before but it still made them just as mad as it did the first time. Anabel and Dawn were on the verge of tears feeling incredibly sorry for Ariana.

"When she was eight she started calling us mum and brother. She said it was because we had been her family since she started living with us so it felt right for her to call us mum and brother."

Everyone was silent as they thought of Ariana. As they stood in silence Ash looked at Bulbasaur's Pokéball and decided he'd better go tell the other's about what had happened. He just hoped Charizard wouldn't kill him.

"Guys I'm gonna go take Bulbasaur to see the other's." Ash announced.

Richie was confused. "When did you get Bulbasaur back?" he asked.

"Just now. Short version is he only betrayed me because the traitors threatened to part him from his mate."

"Okay well I guess I can understand that. Paul probably won't though."

"Yeah I know." Ash agreed. "I'll see you later Richie."

Ash, Anabel and Dawn then left and headed back towards the clearing. Manaphy was still sat sleeping in Anabel's arms. On the way Ash fully explained what had happened with Bulbasaur. Dawn and Anabel both understood as Ash had why Bulbasaur did what he did. When they reached the clearing Ash saw his mother and Ariana. The former was sat down talking with Meowth and the latter was playing with Meganium, Glaceon and Heliolisk. Ash took Bulbasaur's Pokéball off his belt and was about to send him out when he realised something.

"Hey Dawn you haven't introduced your Pokémon to ours yet." Ash said.

"Well I wasn't sure how they'd react to seeing them." Dawn replied.

"They'll be fine trust me."

Dawn nodded and sent out all of her Pokémon They went over to Infernape as they recognised him and the fire monkey started introducing them to everyone.

"See I told you. They have no ill-feelings towards them as they didn't... you know." Ash always made sure not to say betray with Dawn as there was always a very guilty look on her face if he did.

"Hey shouldn't you be introducing them to Bulbasaur?" Dawn replied.

Ash could see the deliberate attempt to change the subject and went with it.

"Yeah you're right. Hey everyone can you come here please?"

All of the Pokémon in the clearing got up and crowded around Ash wondering why he wanted them.

"Listen everyone there is someone you need to see. Now before you do anything just listen to his story. I've forgiven him but I don't expect you too straight away."

Ash threw Bulbasaur's Pokéball revealing the grass type. To say all the Pokémon looked pissed would be an understatement. Charizard had his murder face on and it was taking all of his will power to not Blast Burn the traitor in front of him into oblivion. Bulbasaur saw the intense glares being sent at him but he stood his ground. He told everyone the story and they could see by the look in his eyes that everything he was saying was true and that he was ashamed of what he'd done.

Luxray, Absol, Glaceon, Flygon, Espeon, Gallade and Gardevoir stood by him. They all understood the position he'd been put in and were now standing between him and the rest of the Pokémon showing that they supported him and would protect him. The other's grumbled and walked away swearing that they wouldn't forgive him that easily.

"Well that went better than expected. I thought I was gonna have to explain to Nurse Joy why I have an incinerated Bulbasaur."

Ash looked to Bulbasaur who was surprised that anyone had stood by him but he was also sad as he knew he had a lot of work to do if he wanted to regain their respect and hopefully their friendship. Ash knelt down and placed a comforting hand on his bulb. Bulbasaur looked up at Ash.

"Listen they'll come around eventually. It'll just take a little time. Although I would recommend you stay away from Charizard for the time being."

Bulbasaur nodded and went with the mated pairs and Flygon so they could talk and keep him safe. Ash watched on just hoping that the other's would forgive him as he had done. Although he knew that Meganium, Donphan, Infernape, Meowth and especially Charizard would struggle to forgive him.

"Hey Ash I think it's best if we leave them for now. It might give the other's some time to think." Anabel said.

"Yeah I think you are right Anabel. The five of us can spend some time together." Ash replied.

They left their Pokémon in the clearing hoping they would calm down and maybe even begin forgiving Bulbasaur. The rest of the day consisted of Ash introducing Dawn to Ariana and the trio basically chatted while Delia and Anabel spent the time getting to know each other. When night came they went to their individual hotel's to rest. Dawn was relieved to find out that Ariana and Delia were staying in the Elenion too so she wasn't alone.

* * *

The next day Ash went to the Pokémon centre hoping Nurse Joy would let him see Pidgeot just to see how she was feeling after the surgery. Anabel had come with him and was holding the sleeping Manaphy in her arms. When they entered the Pokémon Centre Ash saw a familiar woman with a Plusle on one shoulder and a Minun on the other.

"Hey Ursula, how have you been." He called out.

"Hi Ash I've been doing well. I won the Sinnoh Grand Festival a few months back and I'm here to crush that bitch May and her tosser boyfriend Drew."

She'd met Ash a few months after the betrayal when she was travelling around Sinnoh. Ursula thought it was odd seeing Ash on his own so she approached him and they began talking. He told her what had happened and it infuriated her that they had turned their backs on Ash. They spent a few days together and became friends. After parting ways they made sure to keep in touch with each other regularly.

"I'd heard that you were in that match tomorrow. Make sure you pummel em."

"Oh believe me I will." Ursula said in a sinister voice.

Ursula's Pokénav then starting ringing. She took it out of her pocket and saw that it was Zoey.

"Hey Zoey when are you getting here?"

"What do you mean you can't get here?!" Ursula yelled.

"Okay. I hope you heal up quick."

She hung up the phone looking seriously pissed.

"So I'm guessing that Zoey can't come for some reason."

"Yeah. She was out training when someone attacked her. The person broke her leg so she can't make it here." Ursula sighed and then slammed her hands on a table. "Damn it, there is no way I can get someone else out here for tomorrow."

Ash smirked maybe he will be able to get his revenge on May a lot easier than he thought.

"Hey Ursula. You know I've done a few contests in the past and I'm free tomorrow."

"I was hoping you would say that." She said while smirking.

* * *

Notes

Please give a review telling me what you liked/didn't like.

If you have any questions PM them to me. I am more than happy to answer them.

Manaphy gender was never specified in the movie so I am making Manaphy female.

It was pretty hard writing Ariana's back story. I don't know how well it turned out but I like it.


	8. Crushing the Co-Ordinator

Thank you everyone who took the time to review. I really appreciate it.

Here's chapter 8 I hope you enjoy.

In conversations:

'- Translation of Poké Speech – No human unless otherwise stated can understand it. Ash can understand it due to his Aura.

"- Human speech

"**- Telepathy**

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

* * *

While Ash and Ursula were discussing how best to humiliate May and Drew. Anabel spotted Nurse Joy come out from the recovery rooms.

"Hey Ash Nurse Joy is back."

Talks of the contest battle tomorrow were immediately stopped and the trio walked over to Nurse Joy.

"Good morning Nurse Joy." Ash said

"Hello Ash. I presume you are here to see Pidgeot."

"Yes. How did the surgery go?" Ash asked.

"Very well. She is resting now but you can see her if you want."

Ash was about to answer when the doors to the Pokémon Centre opened. Ash, Anabel and Ursula looked to see who it was and saw Max, May, Rudy, Drew, Tracey and Gary. Ash and Ursula returned the glares that they where throwing at them. May then spotted the sleeping Manaphy sat in Anabel's arms.

"Manaphy." May squealed.

The loud noise woke Manaphy up and scared her to tears. Anabel gently rocked Manaphy while making what she hoped were calming sounds. Manaphy quickly calmed down and snuggled into Anabel's embrace.

"Mama." Manaphy whispered happily.

Ash and May were the only ones other than Anabel who heard what Manaphy had said. The former smiled and the later stood their in shock but shook it off assuming that she must have heard wrong. May reached out to take Manaphy from Anabel but the Salon Maiden backed away shielding Manaphy from May.

"Give her to me you bitch." May screamed.

Manaphy started crying again at May's screaming. Anabel tightened her grip on Manaphy and tried to comfort her. Once Manaphy had stopped crying Anabel turned to May and glared at her.

"I'll never give her to you." Anabel said defiantly

May growled angrily and went to slap Anabel. However Ash was way too fast and grabbed May's wrist. May looked at Ash and the intense glare he was sending at her terrified her.

"You can say or do what you want to me. But you will never say or do anything to Anabel." Ash said darkly as his eyes glowed blue.

He tightened his grip just enough for it too start hurting. May winced and tried to pull her arm away but she couldn't escape Ash's grip. Ash smirked and released her arm which made May stumble and hit the ground hard. Max helped her sister to her feet. Max then stormed over to Ash and glared at him.

"You have no right to keep Manaphy from May. She's Manaphy's mother." Max said.

"Really? Well how about we let Manaphy decided." Ash took Manaphy from Anabel and gave her a tight hug.

"Ok Manaphy go to mama." Ash said softly.

"Ok papa."

May opened her arms expecting Manaphy to jump straight to her. She was heartbroken when she saw Manaphy go back to Anabel.

"Love you mama." Manaphy whispered.

Anabel cradled Manaphy and gently placed a kiss on her forehead which made Manaphy giggle happily. As she watched Anabel and Manaphy tears now welled up in May's eyes.

"Please Manaphy. It's me May. I'm your mama." May pleaded.

"No you hurt papa. You no mama." Manaphy replied.

The tears in May's eyes now trickled down her face and she placed a hand over her heart as she felt an overwhelming sense of emptiness and sorrow. It was too much for May and she ran out of the Pokémon Centre quickly followed by the other's. She ran all the way back to her hotel room and locked the door. She placed her back to the door and slid to the ground. She could hear Max and the other's banging on the door trying to get her to open up. But she just ignored them and continued sobbing at the pain she was being subjected too.

* * *

After May had charged out of the Pokémon Centre Ash and Anabel had gone and visited Pidgeot. They had offered Ursula to join them but she chose to stay in the reception area while her Pokémon were healed. Ash and Anabel walked into the recovery room Pidgeot was in and saw her sleeping peacefully. They sat down next to the bed and quietly waited for her to wake up. As they sat by Pidgeot's side there was something that had been bothering Ash and since they had nothing else to do now was as good a time as any to ask. Ash turned Manaphy around so she was looking at him.

"Manaphy I am really happy that you are here. But why did you come here?" Ash asked.

"Missed papa. Wanted to meet mama." Manaphy replied.

"I thought you were needed at the Sea Temple."

"They saw I sad. Told me to go to papa."

"Do you have to go back?" Anabel asked. Manaphy shook her head in response

"I stay with mama and papa." Manaphy said happily.

Anabel and Ash smiled at Manaphy. Ash gave her a hug before handing her to Anabel who did the same.

"Love you mama and papa." Manaphy said as she drifted off to sleep in Anabel's arms.

"We love you too Manaphy." Ash and Anabel whispered.

Their attention was drawn away from Manaphy when they heard a groan and saw Pidgeot waking up.

"Hey Pidgeot how are you?" Ash asked worriedly

'Tired and my neck's a bit sore.' Pidgeot murmured. Ash started gently stroking her crest which made Pidgeot sigh in content.

"Well if you take it easy and rest up you'll hopefully be out of here tomorrow."

'Sounds good to me.' Pidgeot then saw Anabel sat next to Ash. 'Who's that?'

"This is Anabel. She's my girlfriend." Ash said with a smile.

'What happened to the young boy that only cared about Pokémon?' Pidgeot said with a chuckle.

"He grew up and found the love of his life." Ash replied.

Ash then gazed at Anabel lovingly. The combination of Ash's words and the way he was now looking at her made Anabel blush. Ash leant forward and gently pressed his lips to Anabel's. Pidgeot was happy that her trainer had found someone he truly loves. Her eyes suddenly started feeling heavy and she succumbed to sleep again. Ash and Anabel broke apart when they then heard the sound of soft snores coming from Pidgeot. After taking one last look at her Ash and Anabel left Pidgeot to rest. They walked back into the reception area and saw Ursula grooming Plusle and Minun while Richie was chatting with a man who was in his early twenties. The man was about six foot. Had dark short black hair and wore a red and black open jacket with black shirt underneath. He also wore black jeans with red and black sneakers.

"Hey Richie who's your friend?" Ash asked.

"This is Thomas he is the guy I fought in the final of the Indigo League. After that we trained together for a while before he went and challenged the Battle Frontier." Richie replied.

Ash looked at Thomas and extended his arm. Thomas grasped the offered hand and shook it.

"A friend of Richie's is a friend of mine." Ash said.

"It's good to meet you Ash. I've actually been wanting to meet you ever since you beat the Battle Frontier so we can have a battle."

"Well hopefully we can have that battle sometime in the future."

Ursula walked over to Ash.

"Come on Ash let's go. I know we'll crush May and Drew but I'd like a little bit of practice first." Ursula said irritatedly.

"Ok calm down Ursula. Follow us back to where my Pokémon are and we can practice for tomorrow."

After saying a quick goodbye to Richie and Thomas and thanking Nurse joy for taking care of Pidgeot Ash and Anabel led Ursula to the clearing so they could start preparing for their contest battle tomorrow.

* * *

The following morning Ash and Ursula entered the stadium and went into the locker room waiting to be called in. They sat in silence both mentally preparing themselves to crush May and Drew. They got up when they heard the announcer call their names.

"So you ready to crush them?" Ursula asked.

"Hell yeah." Ash replied.

Both Ash and Ursula left the locker room and walked into the main stadium. Ash looked across at the opposite tunnel and saw May and Drew walk on to the stage dressed in a similar fashion to what they had in their contests when Ash had travelled in Hoenn. Ash and Ursula then walked out looking focussed. Ash had decided against finding a tux or something along those lines and stuck with his usual attire. Whereas Ursula on the other hand had gotten herself a new outfit specifically for this. Up in the stands Thomas was staring at the sight of Ursula in the breathtaking dress completely entranced. He was blocking everything else out until he got an elbow to his ribs. He stopped staring at Ursula and he looked to his right and saw Richie smirking at him.

"When are you gonna make your move?" Richie asked.

"I-I don't know what are you talking about." Thomas replied as his cheeks went red.

Richie sighed. I guess I'm gonna have to ask Ash to help me with this he thought while looking at Thomas.

Back on the stage May glared at Ash. She was looking forward to beating him to get revenge for him turning Manaphy against her.

"Ready to be humiliated you two? Against both of us you don't stand a chance." May taunted.

"Whatever. Come on Ursula let's do this. Milotic may the Aura guide us."

Ash took out the Pokéball that had a custom seal he had made. He threw the ball and it released a blue glow that momentarily illuminated the stadium. Everyone looked to the stage and saw Milotic who's skin was shimmering. Her beauty stunned everyone in the stadium and several people could be heard complementing Ash on how well he had taken care of Milotic. Anabel could also hear the several of the females in the audience swooning over Ash. She growled angrily as she heard what some would like to 'do' with Ash. She looked at the nearest group who's clothing wasn't exactly leaving much to the imagination and glared at them but they didn't seem to notice as they were still drooling over Ash. Manaphy sensed the changed in her mama's emotions and shifted in her arms to get her attention. Anabel looked at Manaphy and a smile came to her face.

"Mama what wrong?" Manaphy asked.

"Nothing Manaphy. Everything is fine." Anabel replied.

Manaphy seemed to accept Anabel's answer and turned her attention back to the stage where Ursula had her Pokéball in hand.

"Flareon let's win this."

The Pokéball opened and a massive vortex of flames burst from it. The vortex closed and then imploded revealing Flareon. Flareon and Milotic looked as focussed as their trainers. May and Drew smirked at their opponents.

"Masquerain time to dazzle them."

"Blaziken take the stage."

May and Drew threw their Pokéballs which opened letting out a series of firework like explosions. The dust created by the fireworks shimmered in the light and slowly drifted to the ground landing on the stage.

"There is five minutes on the clock, begin."

"Blaziken use Fire Spin."

"Masquerain use Bubblebeam."

Blaziken shot a spiral of flames and Masquerain fired a stream of bubbles. The bubbles now surrounded the spiral of flames and it caused blue sparks to appear where the fire and water touched. This combination was what Lillian had dubbed years ago as the Fire and Water Whirlwind. Ash looked at Ursula with a bored expression.

"Are they really using that generic old technique against us?" he asked.

"Yeah they haven't really come up with anything new in the past seven years."

Ash sighed feeling disappointed. He thought May and Drew would have come up with something better than this.

"Double Counter Shield." Ash and Ursula instructed.

Flareon got on her back began spinning while firing a Flamethrower which sent flames into the air. At the same time Milotic fired a Hydro Pump around her which combined with Flareon's Flamethrower. The combination created a pillar of fire and water that surrounded both Flareon and Milotic. The Fire and Water Whirlwind hit the pillar making the bubbles burst and glisten on impact and they sparkled in the steam caused by the flames. Drew and May's bar went down making both Co-ordinator's growl in frustration.

"Now Milotic use Twister to control the pillar and propel it at them." Ash said.

Milotic created a tornado that surrounded the pillar of fire and water giving Milotic control of the pillar. Milotic sent the attack towards their opponents who tried to dodge but were just a bit too slow and both took a glancing blow. The attack caused Blaziken to stumble to his knees and Masquerain almost crashed to the stage but managed to just stay in the air. May and Drew looked to the scoreboard and saw their bar decrease again.

Ash and Ursula smirked as their plan was working Ash had told Milotic before this match to take it easy as they weren't trying to just knock them out. They were trying to beat them at their own game and it seemed as if she had listened. Ash and Ursula weren't going to give May and Drew any chance to mount a counter-attack and continued their assault.

"Flareon use Swift."

"Milotic use Icy Wind."

A horde of stars formed around Flareon and she shot them at Blaziken and Masquerain. Milotic then opened her mouth and the inside glowed light blue. She then released a strong wind with sparkling blue flecks of snow at the stars. The snow filled wind froze the stars and make them sparkle.

"Now Flareon use Will-O-Wisp." Ursula added.

Several orbs of blue flames surrounded Flareon then she shot them at the frozen stars. The flames surrounded the stars which turned them blue and it made them shimmer.

"Masquerain shatter them with Air Slash."

"Blaziken do the same with Mach Punch."

Masquerain sent several blades of wind at the stars which shattered some of them however the majority of the stars got passed the blades of wind. As the stars approached Blaziken his fists glowed white and he threw his fists at the stars smashing some of them causing the shards to glisten. Despite his best efforts Blaziken only managed to destroy about a quarter of the remaining stars so the rest of them hit Blaziken and Masquerain creating several cuts on them. Both teams looked to the score board and saw that they had lost some points but it showed Ash and Ursula were in the lead. Ash and Ursula then decided to up the ante.

"Dark Elemental Blast."

Flareon formed a black orb of energy and fired it at Blaziken and Masquerain. She then shot a burst of flames at the black orb. Meanwhile Milotic shot a high pressure jet of water at it and then fired several yellow orbs. The flames and water intertwined and shot the ball of dark energy forward as the yellow orbs spun around the main blast. The immensely powerful combination of attacks hit Blaziken and Masquerain who both crashed to the ground. Both Pokémon somehow managed to get back up but were exhausted and only had one more attack in them.

May and Drew were fuming there wasn't much time left and they were way behind. They looked at each other and nodded.

"Let's do this, use Flame Ice."

Masquerain fired a light blue beam at Blaziken who had become engulfed in flames. The attack trapped Blaziken in a block of ice which shined beautifully. Blaziken then shot towards their opponents. May and Drew looked smug as they were confident that this would win them the match.

Ash and Ursula smirked.

"They are making this way to easy aren't they?" Ash said

"Yeah they are. Shall we finish this?." Ursula replied

"Yeah, I'm bored now."

"Elemental Wheel." they both called out.

Milotic coiled it's body into a wheel shape and her body then became surrounded in water. Flareon then jumped on to the inside of the wheel made by Milotic's body and Flareon became engulfed in flames. They both started spinning which made the flames and water merge together. They then shot off towards Blaziken who smirked cockily expecting to overpower Milotic and Flareon. When the attacks clashed Blaziken was easily beaten and the ice surrounding him shattered causing the fragments sparkled in the light made by the flames that still engulfed Blaziken.

Milotic and Flareon rammed into Blaziken again and he was catapulted away crashing straight into Masquerain leaving them both in a heap on the ground. Both Pokémon were barely conscious and they had no way to defend themselves from the charging wheel of water and fire. The attack hit the prone Pokémon and knocked them out. Crosses instantly appeared on all the judges screens and the crowd went wild. Drew and May looked to the big screen and they saw that their bar had almost been completely drained whereas Ash and Ursula's had barely lost anything. It crushed them to see that they'd have lost badly even if their Pokémon hadn't been knocked out.

May collapsed to her knees and started sobbing again. Not only had Ash turned Manaphy against her he had also embarrassed her in a contest battle. Drew took May into his arms and glared at Ash and Ursula who were laughing at his broken girlfriend. Ash and Ursula returned Milotic and Flareon and went down the tunnel. As they walked down the tunnel Ash and Ursula had smirks on their faces pleased that they'd managed to humiliate them so easily. Ash had honestly expected them to put up more of a fight.

"Only two left now." Ash muttered as he and Ursula left the stadium.

* * *

Outside the stadium Ash looked to the left and saw Anabel and the other's coming their way. Anabel wrapped her arms around him. Ash returned the embrace once again making sure not to crush Manaphy between them. They broke apart and Manaphy now took residence in Ash's arms.

"Ash that was great they never saw you coming." Anabel said.

"Yeah that was awesome man. You showed them." Richie said as he clapped Ash on the back

Richie looked at Thomas and then Ursula.

"By the way I need to talk to you about them later." he whispered.

Ash nodded understanding what Richie wanted. Meanwhile Thomas had gone to Ursula, nervous as hell.

"H-h-hey, that was r-really impressive." Thomas stuttered

Ursula had heard this all before. She prepared her retort and turned to look at the person. When she saw Thomas her mind suddenly went blank. Usually she was always able to say what she thinks when she thinks it. But something about the handsome young man in front of her changed that.

"T-thanks." Ursula managed to stutter back.

Ash and Richie looked at the pair and both were thinking that this will be easier than they thought. Ash was then tackled by Ariana.

"Those moves were incredible guys. It was such a beautiful match." Ariana said as she released Ash.

Ash chuckled. Ariana's enthusiasm for watching contests always bought a smile to Ash's face. Sadly Paul did not have the same love for contests, in fact he pretty much hated them.

"Contests are a stupid waste of time. Pretty looking moves are useless if they don't do damage." Paul snapped.

Usually Ariana would jump to the defence of Contests. But Paul's abrasive nature had always intimidated her and today was no different. Ariana shrank back hiding behind Ash who wrapped an arm around her so she knew she was safe. Ariana wrapped her arms around Ash again but this time she had a much tighter grip on him and she hid her face in his shirt. Ash then saw Ursula storm over to Paul and stood so they were inches apart.

"What the hell did you say?!" Ursula yelled.

"You heard me." Paul replied.

"You just know you don't have the skill to create any innovative moves and can only use basic tactics in battle."

"Shut up I could create those idiotic moves. But it would be wasting time that could be used on something useful." Paul snarled.

Ursula and Paul were sending each other death glares. Ash knew them both well enough to know that if they are kept together any longer something or someone would probably get destroyed. So Ash handed Manaphy back to Anabel and started dragging Paul away while it was taking Richie, Dawn and Thomas to pull the enraged Ursula away.

"Ash I'll call your Pokénav later ok."

"Sure Richie."

The enraged trainer and Co-ordinator continued yelling at each other until they were out of sight. Ash, Anabel, Ariana and Delia managed to get Paul to a nearby café and eventually calmed Paul down.

"Hey Paul how did you do against Bertha?" Ash asked.

"She actually provided a bit of a challenge. But she went down nonetheless."

Paul carried on talking about his battle but Ash was only really half listening to Paul. His thoughts were mainly turned to Pidgeot.

"I'm gonna head to the Pokémon centre and see if Nurse Joy will let me take Pidgeot now." Ash announced.

Anabel, Ariana and Delia decided to come with him. Paul said he was going off to train. Ash just hoped that this training didn't involve finding Ursula. Ash, Anabel, Ariana and Delia walked inside the Pokémon Centre and saw a rather bored Nurse Joy sat behind the front desk. However when she saw the group entering she instantly perked up.

"Hey Nurse Joy. I came to see if I can take Pidgeot with me now." Ash said anxious to take Pidgeot.

"Yes you can take her. She seems to be recovering from the surgery very quickly."

"That's great news. Will she be able to battle again?" Ash asked. He wanted to have the option of using her if he could but he wouldn't risk her health.

"Oh yes. In fact she should be battle ready in a couple of days."

Ash's eyes lit up. He was expecting to hear that it would several months before she could start training again.

"So I'll be able to use her in the tournament." Ash said more to himself than anyone else. "Speaking of which have the next round match ups been done yet?"

"No with all the build up to the event today the draw was delayed. It will be ready tomorrow though."

"Ok thanks again Nurse Joy."

Nurse Joy handed Pidgeot's Pokéball to Ash and then the quartet walked outside leaving Nurse Joy to once again be alone and bored. Once outside they were confronted by May.

"What do you want now?" Ash asked.

"I want Manaphy back." She growled.

"Manaphy already made her choice." Ash replied.

"Only because you poisoned her mind to think that bitch is her mother." May snarled.

Ash stormed over to her and looked at May with a terrifying glare.

"Do you remember what I said in the Pokémon Centre yesterday?" he growled.

"You don't scare me Ketchum." May said hoping she sounded convincing. She then looked at Anabel. "Anabel I challenge you to a battle. The winner is Manaphy's true mama and gets to keep her."

"There is no way I will agree to that. Manaphy is a living creature that I love. She's not some kind of betting chip." Anabel replied.

Anabel then felt Manaphy tug on her shirt. She looked down at Manaphy and smiled.

"Mama battle her." Manaphy said to everyone's surprise.

"But if she wins she would take you away."

"Mama won't lose. Mama beat her." Manaphy said confidently.

Anabel still wasn't convinced though as she didn't want to risk losing Manaphy.

"May how about if you win you get Manaphy. If we win we keep Manaphy and you never bother us again." Ash counter offered.

"Fine. I'll agree to that." May said dismissively.

"No we can't do this. I don't want to lose Manaphy." Anabel said clutching on to Manaphy.

"Neither do I. But I know you can win. Manaphy knows you can win. Beat her and she'll leave us alone." Ash replied. Anabel was torn. She wanted May to leave them alone but she didn't want to risk losing Manaphy.

"Are you sure Manaphy?" Anabel said looking straight into her eyes.

"Yes mama."

"Ok I'll do it. I just need to get Espeon." Anabel said.

"It's okay I'll get Mewtwo to Teleport her here." Ash whispered.

"**Mewtwo can you bring Espeon here please?"**

"**Of course Ash."**

Moments later Espeon now stood in front of Anabel and Ash looking around confusedly.

'Hey what am I doing here?' Espeon asked angrily. 'I was spending time with Glaceon.'

"Sorry Espeon but Anabel needs you for a battle against May." Ash replied.

A smirk appeared on Espeon's face. 'Well I suppose I can spare a few minutes to beat her.'

"Will you battle with me Espeon?" Anabel asked.

Espeon nodded 'Of course I will.'

"So you're really using that wimpy looking Espeon." May taunted which made Espeon growl angrily. "I'll show you a true Eeveelution Glaceon take the stage."

May's Glaceon appeared and smirked at Ash. Espeon stood opposite Glaceon and glared at him.

"Shadow Ball." May called out.

"Match it then use Signal Beam." Anabel said calmly.

Glaceon and Espeon formed a ball of black energy in front of them and launched them. The orbs clashed and cancelled each other out. Espeon quickly followed up by forming a white orb in front of the jewel on her forehead. She then fired a rainbow coloured beam from the orb at Glaceon. The beam struck Glaceon and knocked him back but didn't confuse him.

"Ice Beam."

"Dig then Iron Tail."

Glaceon opened his mouth and a light ball orb formed in his mouth. He then fired beams of ice at Espeon. However the psychic Eeveelution had dug underground easily avoiding the Ice Beam. Glaceon looked around frantically trying to guess where Espeon would reappear. Suddenly the ground beneath him shook and Espeon came bursting out of the ground. Espeon then slammed her metallic tail into Glaceon's gut which sent him crashing down next to May.

"Giga Impact." May yelled.

"Psychic Rush."

Glaceon charged at Espeon and his body became surrounded in orange streaks. Meanwhile Espeon's body was surrounded in a blue glow and charged at Glaceon using Psychic to increase the speed and power of her attack. The Eeveelutions clashed and their combined attacks raised a dust cloud which shrouded the area. When the dust finally settled a triumphant Espeon stood over an unconscious Glaceon.

"Yay mama won." Manaphy shouted exuberantly.

Ash smiled as he handed Manaphy to Anabel who hugged Manaphy tightly. Ash then walked over to May who had collapsed to her knees. Ash knelt down to look at May who looked completely heartbroken.

"It's over May. Anabel beat you fair and square. Now leave us alone." Ash said sternly.

Ash got up and walked back to Anabel and Manaphy. He wrapped his arms around both Anabel and Manaphy and he briefly pressed his lips to Anabel's.

"Way to go Anabel. You really crushed her."

"Thanks Ash."

"Come on let's go back to the clearing."

Ash and Anabel broke apart and walked straight passed May who was still on the ground crying. Ash then chose to release Pidgeot who nuzzled him making him laugh. Once she stopped Ash asked his mother if she wanted to meet his other Pokémon but she politely declined as she was due to meet some old friends from her travelling days who she'd kept in touch with but hadn't seen face to face for years. Ariana on the other hand wouldn't be separated from Ash as she hadn't seen him for so long. Ash, Ariana and Anabel began walking back to the clearing.

* * *

When the clearing came into sight Ash told Pidgeot to wait for his word before coming out. Ash and Anabel walked into the clearing and saw that Blastoise, Butterfree and Lapras were now with Bulbasaur laughing together. Ash knew it wouldn't be long before his Kanto team stood with Bulbasaur but the other's still shot glares at him. The worst by far coming from Charizard which didn't surprise him, he just hoped it wouldn't take long for the others to forgive him.

"Hey everyone." Ash yelled.

All the Pokémon turned to their trainers. Ash then sent out Milotic to join the other's.

"Nurse Joy has let me take Pidgeot. So it's time to introduce you to her." he said as Pidgeot landed next to Ash.

Pidgeot immediately went to Bulbasaur and extended her wing showing she had no ill feeling towards him. Ash had explained to her about Bulbasaur on the way and she understood. Bulbasaur smiled and extended a vine and they did the closest thing to a handshake they can do. Charizard growled at this although he was ecstatic that Pidgeot was safe and unharmed he couldn't believe she had forgiven him so easily. But then again she hadn't been there the day that Ash was betrayed so he couldn't expect her to understand.

Pidgeot spent the rest of the afternoon meeting everyone she learnt about all of their pasts and she just generally talked with them. Anabel and Ash stayed there for the rest of the day relaxing with their Pokémon. Manaphy was sat happily in their arms enjoying the attention her mama and papa were giving her. As it got late Ash and Anabel decided to leave and go back to the hotel. As they strolled down the street admiring the beautiful night sky Ash's Pokénav started ringing. Ash took the Pokénav out of his pocket and saw that it was Richie trying to call him so he answered it.

"Hey Richie."

"Ash can we meet up so I can talk to you about Thomas and Ursula?"

"Richie can we do it tomorrow after we get our schedules for the next round?"

"Sure Ash. Same time as before?"

"Yeah."

They said their goodbyes and hung up. Ash and Anabel continued their stroll until they got back to their hotel. They went inside and fell to sleep side by side with Manaphy between them.

* * *

Next morning Ash and Anabel walked to the Pokémon centre and saw everyone waiting for them.

"Ever heard of an alarm clock Ketchum." Paul said agitatedly

"Yeah but I usually smash mine to smitherines."

They all laughed at that as they walked inside and approached Nurse Joy. She handed them their schedules one at a time. Paul had been matched against the winner of the Unova League. Richie was against Tyson who Ash had faced in the Hoenn League. Thomas was against Harrison who Ash battled in the Johto League and Anabel was up against Volkner who had recently been made a member of the Elite 4 in Sinnoh. All of them looked at Ash wondering who his next opponent would be.

"So I finally get to fight the brat and his rat." Ash said.

As if on cue the doors to the Pokémon centre opened revealing Max and Pikachu. Ash, Paul and Richie smirked as they watched them walk to the main desk. Ash noticed that Max and Pikachu were not making eye contact with him and the other's. Nurse Joy saw Max and quickly gave him the schedule that then showed him and Pikachu who they'd be facing. Their eyes widened and Ash could sense the fear coming from them. Max and Pikachu glanced to the left and saw the smirk on Ash, Paul and Richie's faces. Ash and the others turned around and headed towards the exit.

"See you in a few days Maxy." Ash said as they left

Max and Pikachu were left alone in the Pokémon centre. They shared a nervous glance

"We can do this. We can beat Ash and show him that we were right all those years ago." Max said trying to sound confident.

'Yeah of course we can.' Pikachu replied.

They looked at each other. Neither of them was sure who they were trying to convince themselves or each other.

* * *

Ash walked towards the clearing to tell everyone the good news. When he walked into the clearing the Pokémon saw Ash coming towards them and the look on his face told them that it as finally time for Max and Pikachu to feel their wrath.

"In the next round we face Max."

All the Pokémon were thrilled that they'd finally get the chance to fight Max and were curious to see which Pokémon Ash chose to use. He looked at all of his Pokémon finding hard to select who should get a shot at Max. Eventually he managed to choose the Pokémon he would use to crush Max. He then looked at Charizard.

"Charizard there is one condition. You can't kill Pikachu."

"Why not?" he replied disappointed.

Ash smirked.

"Because we might get disqualified."

The next few days went extremely slowly for Ash. But it was finally time to show his starter how wrong he was. Ash was sat in the locker waiting to be called out. He had been waiting for this day for a long time and now it was finally here he wouldn't waste the opportunity he's been given. He heard his name be called and walked out of the locker room ready to humiliate Max and Pikachu.

* * *

Notes

Please give a review telling me what you liked/didn't like.

If you have any questions PM them to me. I am more than happy to answer them.

So next chapter it's the time you've all been waiting for - Ash vs Max

I'm giving a shout out to a friend of mine – percy zoe and artemis fan. He has just started his first Pokémon fanfic. It's about Ash travelling to Sinnoh after getting his heart broken by May. I think it has a lot of potential so if you get a spare few minutes please check it out.

Combo Moves

Dark Elemental Blast - Flareon - Shadow Ball + Flamethrower + Milotic - Hydro Pump + Hidden Power Electric

Elemental Wheel - Flareon - Flame Wheel + Milotic - Aqua Wheel (Water version of Flame Wheel)

Psychic Rush - Equivalent of Flare Blitz, Volt Tackle etc.


	9. Ash vs Max - A Maple is felled

Thank you everyone who took the time to review. I really appreciate it.

Here's chapter 9 I hope you enjoy.

In conversations:

'- Translation of Poké Speech – No human unless otherwise stated can understand it. Ash can understand it due to his Aura.

"- Human speech

"**- Telepathy**

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

* * *

Ash walked on to the battlefield. He could hear the crowd roaring but they were insignificant to him. The only thing that mattered right now were Max and Pikachu who were looking cocky.

"This will be a six vs six battle. Substitutions are allowed. In the green box we have Max Maple and in the red we have Ash Ketchum. Max Maple shall choose his Pokémon first"

"Sceptile let's go."

The lizard appeared on the battlefield and smirked when he saw Ash. Seeing another one of his former Pokémon under the ownership of the traitors made Ash grin as he got the chance to prove him wrong too.

"Bulbasaur may the Aura guide you."

Bulbasaur came out and glared at the treacherous lizard across from him. Sceptile looked back at Bulbasaur with a look that was halfway between surprise and anger that he was now back with Ash.

"Sceptile use Bullet Seed."

"Cut through it with Razor Leaf."

Sceptile opened his mouth and shot hundreds of glowing yellow seeds at a high velocity at Bulbasaur. In response Bulbasaur released several razor-sharp leaves and fired them at the seeds. The leaves sliced the seeds in half making an explosion in the centre of the battlefield.

"Energy Ball and swallow it."

"Now you're trying to use my tactics as well. Bulbasaur quick use Sludge Seeds."

Sceptile smirked and then started forming a green orb in front of him. Bulbasaur quickly fired several seeds covered in toxic sludge at Sceptile. But he hadn't shot them quick enough and Sceptile managed to form and swallow an Energy Ball. A green aura suddenly formed around Sceptile as the effect of the Energy Ball took place. Sceptile grinned as he felt his power increase. The grin was wiped off his face when the poisoned seeds hit him. It was Bulbasaur's turn to grin as he saw that his attack had done some decent damage. But he knew this fight was far from over as the lizard still looked more than ready to continue.

"Use Leaf Blade."

"Use your vines to push yourself in the air then use Body Slam."

Sceptile blades turning a deep green and he straight at Bulbasaur. Sceptile threw his right blade forward but he only hit thin air as Bulbasaur had released his vines and pushed himself up in the air. Bulbasaur then began descending and was about to slam into Sceptile however the Hoenn starter quickly raised his other blade and struck Bulbasaur which stopped the Body Slam and sent him crashing down next to Ash. Ash winced watching this and looked worriedly at Bulbasaur who had managed to get back to his feet. Ash then realised how dumb he had been so far. He'd been using Bulbasaur as he would use his other Pokémon which would be fine except for the fact that Bulbasaur at the minute is nowhere near the same power level of them.

"X-Scissor."

Sceptile crossed his forearms and ran at Bulbasaur. He then slashed Bulbasaur with the bug move causing Bulbasaur to stagger back and temporarily collapse. Bulbasaur looked at Sceptile again and could see a smug grin on his face. The smug look angered Bulbasaur and he struggled to his feet. Bulbasaur knew there was only one way he'd be able to win this battle and he would win it no matter what it takes. Bulbasaur cried out and glowed a brilliant white that blinded everyone. When the light died down an Ivysaur now stood on the battlefield. The main change in his appearance is that its bulb on his back has changed into a pink flower bud with leaves extending from it.

"Sceptile X-Scissor again."

"Ivysaur use Vine Whip to grab his arms. Then use Sludge Bomb and then slam him into the ground."

Ivysaur shot out two vines that grabbed Sceptile's arms. Sceptile tried to struggle free but Ivysaur had a tight hold on him. Ivysaur then then raised Sceptile high in the air leaving him completely defenceless. Sceptile could see what was about to happen and struggled against Ivysaur's vines again but it was futile. Ivysaur smirked as he watched Sceptile try to break free. He then shot a torrent of poisonous sludge at the Lizard causing Sceptile to yell out in pain. Ivysaur then slammed Sceptile down into the battlefield which created a crater in the battlefield. Sceptile managed to push himself back to his feet but looked exhausted, there also appeared to be poison dripping from his mouth. Ash also noticed that Sceptile's body had lost the green glow that the power boost Energy Ball had given him which showed that he no longer had the strength to maintain that level of power. However his Overgrow ability had kicked in but it had nowhere near as much power as the Energy Ball power boost had.

"Let's end this. Ivysaur Solarbeam." Ash said calmly.

"Sceptile use Solarbeam too." Max yelled angrily.

Ivysaur gathered sunlight in the flower bulb on his back and Sceptile gathered sunlight in the seeds on his back. Both starters then fired a green beam of energy at each other. The attacks clashed in the middle of the battlefield and at first the attacks seemed even. But gradually Ivysaur's Solar Beam began pushing Sceptile's back until it finally cut through and launched the lizard into the stadium wall. Sceptile pulled himself out of the wall but he had taken too much punishment to keep going so he slumped to the ground unconscious.

"Sceptile is unable to battle green choose your next Pokémon."

* * *

Max growled in frustration and returned Sceptile. He then pulled another Pokéball off his belt.

"Gallade you're up."

"Great job Ivysaur. I'm proud of you. Now take a rest."

Ash returned Ivysaur and took a new Pokéball off his belt.

"Heliolisk may the Aura lead us to victory."

"Gallade annihilate that thing with Earthquake."

Ash sighed. He really was disappointed in how predictable Max was.

"Magnet Rise." Ash said in a bored tone.

Gallade stomped on the ground which created some tremors. But honestly the little shakes were pathetic compared to what Charizard and Paul's Torterra had created in previous rounds. Ash knew he didn't even really need to dodge the Earthquake but this would be just another way to mock Max. Max growled angrily as he saw Heliolisk on a platform of electricity. What infuriated him was the smirk Heliolisk was directing at him.

"Hey captain predictable. I thought you'd have learned from my match against the pervert that using tactics like that won't work." Ash taunted.

"Shut up Ketchum. Gallade use Psycho Cut until you knock him out of the sky." Max yelled.

"Counter with Parabolic Charge."

Gallade's blades glowed blue and he started swinging his arms which fired several psychic blades at Heliolisk. As he saw the blades headed his way the frills around Heliolisk's neck spread out and he charged electricity into them. He then fired several bolts of electricity from his frills and aimed them at the psychic blades which instantly dispelled them. The electricity then carried on and shocked Gallade forcing him to drop to his knees. Several tendrils of electricity went from Gallade back to Heliolisk which had he taken any damage so far would have healed him. Heliolisk then jumped off the platform of electricity and smirked at Gallade who had gotten back to his feet. As he watched what was happening Max's eye twitched and a frustrated growl came from him.

"Heliolisk use Thundering Darkness."

"Use Shadow Ball."

A black aura which crackled with electricity surrounded Heliolisk. Gallade worried about what Heliolisk was doing formed a black orb of energy in front of him and fired it at Heliolisk. Heliolisk watched the orb coming towards him and he merely swiped his arm at it which batted it away. Heliolisk then slammed his fist into the ground and the aura that surrounded him transferred into the ground and shot straight at Gallade. The psychic type jumped in an attempt to dodge the wave of dark electricity but the aura just shot straight off the battlefield and engulfed Gallade. Everyone heard Gallade yell out in pain and when the attack ended Gallade crashed back to the ground. Ash was surprised to see Gallade struggle to his feet but it was obvious that he was finished.

"Max return Gallade there is nothing more he can do." Ash said not wanting to cause more harm than necessary.

"No I don't believe you. Gallade is fine. Show him Gallade use Leaf Blade and Night Slash."

Ash sighed "Fine. Heliolisk use Wild Charge."

Gallade's right blade glowed green and his left turned black. He charged at Heliolisk who became surrounded in electricity and sprinting straight at Gallade. Gallade aimed both of his bladed arms at Heliolisk but sue to his tiredness he missed both attacks. Heliolisk than slammed into Gallade's gut which sent him flying through the air and he landed at Max's feet unconscious and covered in electrical burns.

"Gallade is unable to battle. Green side choose your next Pokémon."

* * *

Ash didn't feel that satisfied about beating Gallade the way he had done. He knew that was the Ralts he had met in Hoenn and he felt bad that he had to do that much damage. Ash shook the thought away and looked at Max who seemed to be getting more and more pissed off.

"Slaking it's you're turn."

"Good job Heliolisk return. Now Absol may the Aura assure our victory."

The disaster Pokémon stood proud in front of her opponent while Slaking looked ready to take a nap.

"Slaking use Focus Punch."

"Absol use Ice Beam on the battlefield then use Dark Pulse to shatter the ice."

Slaking's fist glowed white and he charged at Absol who formed a light blue orb in front of her. Absol then fired several beams of ice Beam at the battlefield which froze it. The now slippery surface caused Slaking to slip over and slide ungracefully finally crashing into the arena wall. A dark aura then surrounded Absol and she released it as a dark wave of energy. The dark energy shattered the ice which left shards of ice all over the battlefield. Ash and Absol smirked as they saw that Slaking's ability then kicked causing him to show off why his species is called the lazy Pokémon. Max was grinding his teeth in anger as he saw another one of his Pokémon being humiliated.

"Now use Razor Wind."

"Use Focus Punch again." Max yelled desperately.

The scythe on Absol's head glowed white and she started swinging her head, sending out white crescent blades of wind at Slaking. Meanwhile Slaking had stopped being lazy and ran at Absol its fist again glowing white. He was immediately stopped by the blades of wind though which were gradually pushing him back. What made it worse for Slaking was that the blades of wind were also propelling the shards of ice on the ground at him so the shards were pelting him which caused him even more pain. When Absol fired the last blade she looked at Slaking and saw that he was covered in nasty looking cuts over his body as well as some hefty bruises where the large chunks of ice had crashed into him. Slaking felt completely drained and he slumped to the ground as blood slowly oozed out of the wounds.

"Let's finish him off. Use Night Slash and don't let up your assault."

Absol charged at the defenceless Slaking as her claws and the scythe on her head turned from grey to pitch black. Slaking looked on in horror as the he saw the sharp claws and scythe now headed at him. Absol then bombarded Slaking with slashes creating terrible cuts all over his body. She finished it up by using her sickle to make a huge gash on Slaking's gut. The pain was overwhelming and it caused Slaking to black out.

"Slaking is unable to battle. Green side choose your next Pokémon."

* * *

Max wasn't gonna give up but his confidence was waning as he watched each of his Pokémon fall to Ash's Pokémon

"Quilava let's do this."

"Well done Absol. Now Gardevoir time for another traitor to fall."

The fire type came out and as soon as he spotted his opponent he quickly averted his gaze. Ash had caught sight of the look in his eyes and saw the same look that Bulbasaur had on his face days ago. It made Ash wonder if he was ashamed of his actions as Bulbasaur was. He always had been fond of the rather timid fire type and if he too had a legitimate reason for turning against him then maybe Quilava could become one of his Pokémon again.

"Why did you do it Quilava?" Ash yelled determined to get an answer.

Quilava looked to the ground guiltily. He was ashamed of what he did and to be honest he knew that his reason for betraying Ash was pathetic. But Ash deserved to know the truth.

'I-I was scared. I saw so many of the other's nod along with the traitors that I was scared of what would happen to me if I disagreed with them.'

"Not good enough." Ash replied harshly.

'I know.' Quilava said while nodding his head. He had no respect for Max but he needed some help if hoped to not be crushed by Ash.

"Quilava use Flamethrower." Max yelled.

"Use Light Screen. Then use Shadow Thunder Blast."

Quilava shot a burst of flames at Gardevoir who stood still and erected a barrier in front of her. The flames hit the barrier and were sent flying off in different directions leaving Gardevoir completely unharmed. She then formed an orb of black energy in one hand an a blue orb of energy in the other hand. Her fists then crackled with electricity and she punched both of the orbs launching them at the stunned fire type. Quilava tried to dodge but the Shadow Ball was moving way too fast meaning that it clipped his side. The damage caused by the Shadow Ball made him unable to avoid the Focus Blast which hit him head on. Quilava was knocked down by the attack but he managed to get back to his feet looking ready for battle.

"Use Flame Charge."

"Meet him head on with Thunder Punch."

Quilava became engulfed in flames and ran straight at Gardevoir who's fists crackled with electricity. She charged at Quilava and the two met in the centre of the battlefield. Gardevoir started by throwing one fist forward which was matched by Quilava's Flame Charge. However he could do nothing to avoid her other fist which slammed into his skull. The strength of the punch sent Quilava skidding along the ground until finally stopping in front of Max. Quilava shook his head and slowly pushed himself to his feet meanwhile Gardevoir floated back in front of Ash.

"Quilava hit her with Swift."

"Use Psychic to return them to sender."

A horde of stars appeared around Quilava and he fired the stars at Gardevoir. They flew at Gardevoir and Max looked on triumphantly as it appeared she couldn't do anything. To his shock he saw that they stopped inches from her. The stars then glowed blue from the psychic energy and Gardevoir shot them back at Quilava spinning several times faster than before. The fire types eyes widened in shock as he saw his own attack headed back at him. By the time he snapped out of his shock it was too late and he cried out in pain when the stars hit him. He nearly collapsed from the pain and he could feel how shaky his legs were. But he managed to stay standing although he knew he couldn't go on much longer.

"Quilava use Flare Blitz."

"Psychic Rush."

Like before Quilava's body was engulfed in flames but they were much more intense this time and he charged at Gardevoir. The speed boost from Flame Charge making him close the distance quicker than before. Meanwhile Gardevoir's body was surrounded in a blue glow and she charged at Quilava using Psychic to increase the speed and power of her attack. The attacks clashed and the power of the combined attacks raised a dust cloud which shrouded the battlefield. When the dust finally settled a triumphant Gardevoir stood over an unconscious Quilava.

"Quilava is unable to battle. Green choose your next Pokémon."

* * *

Max was getting incredibly frustrated now.

"Gliscor come one out and win this."

"Donphan crush him."

They both came out and Gliscor looked away in guilt as he saw Ash and Donphan. Ash could sense that his reasons were the same as Quilava's which was not good enough.

"Gliscor. I know you turned on me through fear but that is not a good enough reason. So now you're gonna pay." Ash said and Gliscor just nodded in response.

"Don't listen to that loser Gliscor. Use X-Scissor"

"Seed Bomb and then hit Gliscor with a Hyper Beam."

Gliscor crossed his arms in front of him and flew full speed at Donphan. The closer he got the more confident he felt as Donphan had made no attempt to attack. When Gliscor was only a couple of feet away Donphan opened his mouth revealing a glowing white orb. Multiple glowing white seeds then shot forth from the orb giving Gliscor no option but to try and push through the attack. Sadly for Gliscor he just wasn't strong enough to burst through the attack. Donphan sent one final wave of seeds which this time exploded on contact sending Gliscor crashing to the ground. Max watched on helpless as Donphan formed an orange orb in his mouth and fired a powerful orange beam from the orb. The Hyper Beam hit Gliscor which slammed him into the wall causing massive damage. He pulled himself out of the wall and was able to stay in the air although it was taking a lot of effort. Max knew that he had to try and heal some of the damage Gliscor had just taken.

"Roost."

"Max you are really making this far too easy. Use Earthquake."

Gliscor landed on the ground and rested his body which healed some of the damage caused by Donphan. But before he could get back into the air Donphan stomped on the battlefield which caused massive tremors that cracked the earth and demolished the battlefield. The intense attack caused major damage to Gliscor so it had basically made Gliscor's Roost a pointless endeavour. Gliscor got back into the air but it was obvious that he was pretty much finished. Ash was finding the decimation of Max incredibly funny but he knew that Charizard was eager to meet their old friend so he decided to finish Gliscor off.

"Let's finish this, use Stone Edge."

Max then realised the real reason Ash had used Earthquake and he could do nothing as he saw the rubble from the destroyed battlefield circle around Donphan and then be fired at Gliscor. Gliscor was to tired to do anything but watch the rocks as they crashed into him. The attack sapped the last of Gliscor strength and he plummeted to the ruined battlefield. To add insult to injury some of the rocks that had knocked Gliscor out of the sky fell on top of him and crushed him. Donphan dragged Gliscor's unconscious body from the rubble and dumped him next to Max.

"Gliscor is unable to battle. Green side choose your final Pokémon."

* * *

Max returned Gliscor and then looked at Pikachu who was stood on his shoulder.

"Come on Pikachu we can do this. If you can beat Ash's last Pokémon I'm sure you can take down the rest of his team no problem." Max said hoping he sounded confident

Pikachu nodded and jumped off Max's shoulder. He stood defiantly in front of Ash ready to prove that he was right to ditch him seven years ago.

"Pikachu you are about to enter a world of pain and by the end you will be begging me to tell him to stop him attacking you."

'I will crush whoever you send out.' Pikachu yelled back.

"Charizard it's time."

Charizard came out roaring and shooting flames in the air. The little confidence that Max and Pikachu had vanished as they looked at the now smirking Charizard. But they both quickly regained their composure.

'I've been looking forward to this day for seven years.' Charizard said darkly.

'Y-you don't frighten me you overgrown lizard.' Pikachu replied.

"Do you wanna do this on your own." Ash asked already knowing the answer.

'Yeah.'

"Okay have fun."

"Pikachu use Thunderbolt." Max instructed.

Pikachu fired a bolt of electricity at Charizard. Max was anticipating an easy win and had already started celebrating. But his jubilation soon turned to horror as he watched Charizard just swung his wing at the electric attack which simply batted the Thunderbolt away. Both Max and Pikachu were stunned at what had just happened as nobody had ever just brushed aside his Thunderbolt that easily.

"Quick Attack now."

Streaks of white appeared around Pikachu and he shot forward at an incredible speed. But sadly for him Charizard had battle much faster opponents and all he had to do to stop Pikachu was raise his foot up. Pikachu tried to push against Charizard but it was futile. Pikachu was so focussed on attacking Charizard that he didn't notice that the dragons other foot was glowing white. Charizard kicked Pikachu with a devastating Mega Kick which sent the mouse into the sky. Charizard took flight and flew up above Pikachu. His fist glowed white and it was also engulfed in flames. He punched the mouse back down to the ground and Pikachu crashed into the battlefield. Pikachu groaned in pain as he pulled himself out of the crater. He was still more than able to fight but he looked worse for wear.

"Pikachu Electro Ball."

Pikachu formed a ball of electricity on his tail and launched the ball of electricity at Charizard. The dragon yawned and simply put up his hand and caught the Electro Ball like a baseball. Charizard then threw it straight back at Pikachu who wasn't really harmed by the attack. But it was quickly demoralising the mouse who was beginning to realise just how outclassed he was. Ash was on the verge of laughing watching Charizard humiliate Pikachu this badly. But he knew Charizard wasn't done yet.

"Iron Tail."

Pikachu's tail turned metallic and he ran at Charizard. Pikachu leapt into the air at the last minute hoping to land a shot to Charizard's head and he did. He felt like this would turn it around for him but then Pikachu saw that the attack hadn't even made Charizard flinch. The dragon then grabbed Pikachu by his tail and dangled the defenceless mouse in front of him. Pikachu started panicking and used a Thunder in an attempt to escape but Charizard wasn't even bothered. What scared Pikachu was that Charizard had actually laughed at the attack.

'Ha that tickled.' Charizard said with a smirk.

Pikachu was utterly terrified now. He'd never been more afraid of anything in his life not even when he was paralyzed by Mewtwo's Psychic the other day. Pikachu was scared to think of what Charizard would do to him next. He got his answer when the fire type slammed Pikachu into the ground not once, not twice but three times. Pikachu was beginning to see that Ash had been right. Pikachu then screeched in pain as Charizard fired a point blank Flamethrower at him. Charizard released Pikachu and the mouse managed to scramble away however his body was littered in cuts, bruises and burns.

"Pikachu Volt Tackle." Max yelled with no regard to Pikachu's condition.

Pikachu became surrounded with electricity. He knew that he may be outclassed but he wouldn't go down without a fight. Ash watched as Charizard charged at Pikachu and his body became engulfed by flames. The attacks clashed and the mouse wouldn't have stood a chance if Charizard had been trying. But he'd had a different idea. Charizard's tail suddenly turned metallic and he swung it hitting Pikachu in the abdomen and it sent him flying in the air again. Charizard chased after him and grabbed him. Pikachu knew that it was over now as Charizard had only one intention now.

Charizard flew high into the sky and when he got to an altitude that he thought was appropriate he threw Pikachu towards the battlefield. The mouse rocketed towards the ground and he crashed into the ruins of the battlefield. Pikachu prayed that Charizard was done but then he saw the dragon charging a Blast Burn. Charizard grinned as he saw Pikachu realise what was about to happen and fired the immensely powerful fire attack at the completely powerless mouse. Pikachu closed his eyes as he didn't want to see the brutal attack as it hit him. The battlefield was bathed in flames and when the flames died down Charizard glided back to the ground and inspected his handiwork and to say he was delighted would be an understatement. Pikachu was in the enormous crater Charizard had created, broken, bleeding and burnt.

"Pikachu is unable to battle. Ash Ketchum wins."

Max collapsed to his knees crying at the fact that Ash had beaten him. Ash smiled seeing the distraught look on Max's face. Ash then walked to the crater Pikachu was in. He stepped into the crater and knelt next to Pikachu. The broken mouse winced as he turned his head to look at his old trainer. His vision was blurry from the pain he was feeling and the tears in his eyes. In a cold voice that Pikachu had never heard Ash use before he said six words.

"This is the cost of betrayal."

Pikachu then blacked out. Ash returned Charizard and then turned around and walked out the stadium.

"Only Tracey left now." he muttered.

* * *

Outside the stadium Ash had a huge smile on his face as the memory of a crying Max and Pikachu was still fresh. He started walking towards the clearing so he could tell the others about the battle when he was tackled by a colt-like Pokémon that had a cream-colored body. It had a short, rounded snout with large nostrils and blue eyes. It had a large, feathery red mane, long, dark blue, ridged eyebrow-like protrusions and a single cream-colored horn that curves slightly. The back of its head, as well as its neck, is covered with fluffy, light blue fur. It had blue hooves and its tail is light blue with white spots.

"Hey Keldeo. Where's Alessandra?" Ash asked

"She's right here." a voice replied.

Ash looked up and saw Alessandra. She still had Waist-long brown hair and brown eyes. She was wearing a blue top, with a white jacket, blue knee-long skirt, white socks and brown shoes. She also carried a blue and white bag. To her left stood her Infernape and to her right stood her Leafeon. Keldeo got off Ash and let him get to his feet. Ash closed the distance between him and Alessandra and he hugged her.

"Hey Alex what are you doing here? Are you competing?" Ash asked

"Yes I am. Actually I've just won my match and was hoping I'd run into you."

"I'm glad to see you. Hey how's Markus ."

"He's ok he wasn't feeling too good so I told him to stay at home."

Just then Alex saw Max cradling Pikachu who was in terrible shape. She walked over to Max and Pikachu and saw the horrible injuries Pikachu had sustained. She looked at Ash and shook his head as he knew what she was intending to do. She averted her gaze and took two poke balls off her belt while she looked at Pikachu.

"You don't deserve it but. I can't let a Pokémon be in that much pain. Blissy, Audio come on out. I need your help."

The healers came out and looked at the broken and bleeding mouse. Audio looked on in and felt sorry for the battered mouse. Blissy on the other hand smirked as she knew that Ash must have done this to him and the rat deserves everything that happened.

"Can you two heal Pikachu for me please?" Alex asked

The Audino nodded straight away but the Blissey looked at her with a 'why the hell should we' look. She had no desire to help a traitor and it shocked her that Alex and Audio were willing to help the rat.

"Wait a minute Alex. You do know those are two of the traitors so why the hell do you wanna help them?" Ash asked although he already knew what her response would be.

"I can't stand seeing Pokémon injured. Even if it is one of the ones who betrayed you. I'm sorry Ash but it is just my nature. Please Blissy I know you don't want to but please help him for me and Audio" Alex pleaded.

She looked at the two she considered parents and then looked to Ash. Ash sighed he knew this was a very strong belief of Alex's. He wasn't happy about it but he knew that there would be no changing her mind.

"Fine help the rat. Blissy go on heal him."

Blissy saw that Audio had started the healing process and she began helping albeit reluctantly. Suddenly 1 of Ash's poke balls popped open revealing a very pissed off Charizard. The sight of the angry dragon made the two healers back away.

'NO WAY! No fucking way is he getting off this easy.' Charizard growled.

Keldeo, Leafeon and Infernape stood between Charizard and Alessandra.

'You will not harm our trainer.' the trio said.

'I have no interest in harming Alex. I only wish to see that pathetic scum get what he deserves. You didn't see the state Ash was in after the betrayal. If you had you would feel the same way I do.' Charizard roared back.

Ash sighed. He knew this would happen. The best thing he could do now would be to return Charizard and get out of there before a fight broke out.

"Listen Alex call me later and we can meet up."

Ash returned Charizard and started walking to the clearing leaving Alex to heal Pikachu. Once Ash was out of sight Max finally found his voice.

"T-thank you for helping me and Pikachu."

"Shut up." Alex snapped. " Save you thanks for someone who would appreciate them. I don't like you, Pikachu or any of the others who betrayed Ash. You're just lucky that I can't stand seeing Pokémon in this much pain."

Max went silent not really having a response. After about ten minutes Audio and Blissy stepped away from Pikachu. The mouse's wounds had been healed and he felt as good as new. He jumped on to Max's shoulder and rubbed his cheek against Max's. Alex found the scene sickening as she knew that eight years ago Pikachu was doing the same thing with Ash. Alex returned Blissy and Audio and headed towards the Pokémon Centre. She hoped that what she had just done hadn't harmed her friendship with Ash. She knew he had been looking forward to seeing Pikachu feel some of the pain he had when he was betrayed and she'd gone and taken that from him. The thought made her feel incredibly guilty about what she'd just done.

* * *

Notes

Please give a review telling me what you liked/didn't like.

If you have any questions PM them to me. I am more than happy to answer them.

I hope you all enjoyed Max getting crushed. It took a little longer than I expected due to me trying to chose 5 other Pokémon to fight Max.

Blissy and Audio are nicknames chosen by a good friend of mine who created Alessandra – Legendary Fairy

There is a poll now on my profile. It will remain up for 3 days so vote quickly.

Combo Moves

Sludge Seeds – Sludge Bomb + Seed Bomb

Thundering Darkness – Dark Pulse + Discharge

Psychic Rush – Equivalent of Flare Blitz, Volt Tackle etc.


	10. Tracey Falls and an Old Enemy Returns

Thank you everyone who took the time to review. I really appreciate it.

Here's chapter 10 I hope you enjoy.

In conversations:

'- Translation of Poké Speech – No human unless otherwise stated can understand it. Ash can understand it due to his Aura.

"- Human speech

"**- Telepathy**

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

* * *

When Ash got back to the clearing he saw his other Pokémon who all approached him wondering how the battle against Max went. Ash let out the ones who had fought today. To say Charizard was pissed would be an understatement.

'What the hell Ash? That treacherous rat only suffered for a few minutes. How is that justice?' Charizard yelled.

"We humiliated them and that was the main thing. Besides we both know that Alex will never let a Pokémon be left in that kind of state. I gotta say you really did a good job on Pikachu."

Charizard smirked 'Thanks.'

Charizard then saw Ivysaur talking with the others. The dragon was shocked that he had evolved after saying how much he hated the idea of evolving. He walked over to Ivysaur and the conversation Ivysaur was having with the others ended.

'So you evolved.'

'Yeah I had to. I was losing so evolving was the only way I could beat Sceptile.'

Charizard could see now that he was indeed true to his word. If he was prepared to evolve to defeat one of the treacherous Pokémon it showed that he was loyal to Ash. Charizard extended his hand and Ivysaur flinched assuming that the dragon was going to attack him. Charizard wasn't surprised at Ivysaur's reaction.

'I'm not going to attack you Ivysaur.'

Ivysaur looked dubious for a moment. But he could tell by the look in the dragon's eyes that he was telling the truth. Ivysaur gingerly extended a vine and Charizard grasped it and shook it.

'So are we good now?' Ivysaur asked.

'Yeah we are. I see that you are truly loyal to Ash if you were willing to evolve to beat one of the traitors.'

'To be honest I'm actually enjoying being an Ivysaur. My speed and agility is about the same as it was before and I've gained a lot of power.'

Ash watched as all of his Pokémon now went to Ivysaur and welcomed him to the family. Ash looked on happy that they had all forgiven and befriended Ivysaur now. Ivysaur was overjoyed that everyone had now accepted him. Even Infernape, Donphan and Meowth had come over to offer their support. The only one who hadn't approached him yet was Meganium. He looked over to her and he was bemused to see that she had a guilty look on her face. Ivysaur walked over to Meganium and sat down next to her.

'Hey what's wrong?' Ivysaur asked.

'I-I'm sorry.' she blurted out.

'Sorry? What for?' he replied confusedly.

'The day that the traitors turned against Ash I said some horrid things to you.' Meganium looked away as tears formed in her eyes.

'Hey don't be sorry. I deserved everything you said.' Ivysaur wiped away her tears with one of his vines. 'I just want us to be friends again. That is if you want to be.'

'That sounds good to me.' she said with a smile. 'I still feel like I should do something to apologise.'

'Well I believe that before that day you promised me a battle.'

'Yes I did.'

'Well when I've fully recovered from my battle with Sceptile how about we have that battle?'

'Sure. I'm gonna go battle with Aurorus for a while. So I'll see you later.' she stood up and started walking.

'Ok see ya. Oh by the way.' Meganium looked back at Ivysaur. 'You became a very beautiful Meganium.'

Meganium blushed and quickly headed over to Aurorus.

Ash had heard the whole conversation between Ivysaur and Meganium. What Ivysaur said at the end confused Ash. He wasn't sure if Ivysaur was being nice or whether he had feelings for Meganium. Considering what happened with May's Bulbasaur, Ash had assumed that he would be a lot like Charizard and Butterfree who had both been betrayed by their former mates. But here he was possibly flirting with Meganium. He was pulled out of his thought by his Pokénav ringing. He took it out of his pocket and saw it was Alex calling.

"Finished healing the rat." Ash said harshly.

"Yes. I'm sorry Ash but I can't help it." Alex said apologetically.

Ash sighed "You don't need to apologise. I know it is in your nature to heal any hurt Pokémon and I'm not mad at you. Charizard is but I'm not. So do you wanna meet at the Pokémon centre?"

"Okay I'll see you there."

They hung up and Ash made his was towards the Pokémon centre. As Ash left the clearing Meowth climbed on Ash's shoulder as he hadn't seen Alex for years and wanted to see how she was.

* * *

Ash picked up the pace when the Pokémon centre was in sight. However before he could get to the entrance he was intercepted by a pissed off Pokémon watcher.

"You've embarrassed the others and even sent two of them to prison. I'm gonna make you pay for that." Tracey snarled.

Ash and Meowth started laughing hysterically.

"What's so fucking funny Ketchum?"

"Tracey you're even more pathetic than the other's. But if you really wanna look like a complete fool let's go to one of the training fields."

Tracey followed Ash to the training area behind the Pokémon centre. There were several trainers were battling but when they saw Ash they immediately stopped and followed him and Tracey to watch their match.

"Tell you what Tracey I'll give you a chance. I'll let you use all six of your pathetic Pokémon against one of mine."

Tracey was so infuriated that he shook with rage and growled angrily. He sent out all six of the Pokémon he had revealing a Scizor, a Venomoth, a Noctowl, a Glalie, a Heracross and an Azumarill. Ash hadn't really known how to humiliate Tracey. But he had made it easy by foolishly challenging him to a battle. Ash smirked as he would get a chance to really trounce Tracey in front of the trainers here. It may not be a full stadium of people but it would have to do. Ash was glad that Meowth had joined him as otherwise he'd have missed out on a golden opportunity. The cat jumped off Ash's shoulder and stood before Tracey's Pokémon.

"Ha you only have one Pokémon and it's the failure from Team Rocket. This'll be easy." Tracey taunted.

Ash and Meowth grinned at his idiocy. Had he really forgotten how badly Meowth had embarrassed Garchomp?

"Yeah it will be, for us." Ash replied.

"Scizor use Metal Claw. Venomoth Signal Beam. Noctowl Air Cutter. Glalie Ice Beam. Heracross Megahorn and Azumarill use Aqua Jet."

"Use Water Pulse on the ground to launch yourself in the air. Then use Hidden Barrage"

Scizor's claws turned metallic and he shot at Meowth. Venomoth formed a white orb and then fired a rainbow coloured beam from the orb at Meowth. Noctowl flapped her wings incredibly quickly which fired blades of wind at Meowth. Glalie formed a light blue orb in front of himself and fired several frozen beams from the orb. Heracross' horn glowed white and he flew straight at Meowth and Azumarill became surrounded in water and shot off towards Meowth. Meowth grinned as he saw the attacks headed his way. He quickly formed an orb of water and threw it at the ground which launched him into the air dodging all of the attacks. Due to their target dodging the attacks hit each other causing an explosion that sent Scizor, Heracross and Azumarill crashing back into Venomoth, Noctowl and Glalie.

Ash smirked as he watched Tracey's Pokémon get back up. The Pokémon all glared at Ash who simply looked up in response. The Pokémon followed his line of sight and saw that six red orbs had now appeared around Meowth. The cat fired the orbs straight at Tracey's Pokémon he followed up by firing a horde of stars and finished it off with firing a several rays of light that could be mistaken for gem stones. The impact of the attacks shrouded the battlefield in dust. When the dust cleared Tracey's Pokémon were seen struggling to stay upright while Meowth gracefully landed on the ground in front of Ash.

"I can't believe they are still standing. I guess they aren't quite as worthless as I thought or maybe Meowth is just holding back even more than I thought he would." Ash said mockingly.

The cat turned and Ash saw by the look in his eyes that the latter of the two statements was correct.

"Scizor and Noctowl Aerial Ace. Heracross Megahorn. Venomoth Signal Beam. Glalie Headbutt and Azumarill use Double-Edge."

"Use Thunder Night Slash on Scizor and Noctowl. Then jump and use Iron Tail on Heracross. Follow up with a Thunder Pulse on Venomoth and then charge at Glalie and Azumarill with Giga Impact."

Scizor and Noctowl became engulfed in streaks of white and charged at Meowth. Heracross' horn glowed again and he flew at Meowth. Venomoth fired another rainbow coloured beam at Meowth and Glalie and Azumarill both ran at Meowth. Meowth watched the approaching Pokémon and charged some electricity but instead of discharging it he channelled it into his now pitch black claws. He ran at Scizor and Noctowl and ducked under their strikes. He then slashed at them both which caused them to cry out in anguish as the electricity shocked them and the pain was so great that they fainted seconds later. The cat then turned his attention to the beetle flying at him. When Heracross was mere inches away Meowth jumped over the beetle and slammed his now metallic tail on to the back of the bugs head. The strength of the attack smashed him in to the ground which knocked him out instantly. Meowth then formed a ball of water that crackled with electricity. He then fired the orb at the rainbow coloured beam easily pushing it back and slamming into Venomoth which knocked him out. Meowth then looked at his last two victims. He charged at them and when he rammed into them collision caused an explosion which sent Azumarill and Glalie crashing into the Pokémon Centre wall. They both then slumped to the ground unconscious.

Tracey was momentarily stunned but then returned his Pokémon and quickly made his escape. Ash looked at his beaten opponent running off and felt like a massive weight have been lifted from him. He'd finally beat them all. His treacherous former friends had all been crushed and humiliated. Meowth climbed back on to Ash's shoulder. Ash gave the cat a quick thanks and then looked to the spectators. He saw his mother, Richie, Alex and Ariana who had been watching the whole time. He walked up to them a smile on his face.

"It's over. I finally got back at all of them." Ash said.

"Papa won." Manaphy said happily.

"Yeah I did. Wait why are you with my mother and Ariana?" Ash asked.

"Wanted to be with grandma and auntie." Manaphy replied.

"Okay. Well shall we wait inside for Anabel and Paul?"

They replied with a nod and followed Ash into the Pokémon centre. Ash, Richie and Alex were talking about their battles. They stopped when they heard the doors open and looked to see Paul who walked in looking incredibly smug. Ash knew that look very well.

"So you won then." Ash stated.

"Yeah the only challenge was his Hydreigon. It was a little disappointing. I guess Unova isn't that much of a challenge really."

"Hey I'm from Unova." Alex said angrily.

"Your point being?"

Before Alex had a chance to responded Keldeo drenched Paul. Everyone started laughing at the now furious Paul. When the laughing died down and Magmortar had dried Paul the Sinnoh native looked at Ash.

"So did you crush the rat?" Paul asked.

"Yeah Charizard beat him down badly." Ash said with a smirk.

"So how long is he gonna be in intensive care?"

Ash looked at Alex who looked down guiltily.

"Well Paul the things is." Ash trailed off.

Paul saw the guilty look on Alex's face and knew what must have happened.

"You let her heal him. Why?" Paul yelled.

Ash sighed. "Because that's what she does. She heals injured Pokémon and you know there is no way to stop her. Although Charizard wanted to."

Anabel and Dawn then walked into Pokémon centre. Anabel saw Ash talking with Paul and some other woman she had never met. She thought Paul looked annoyed but then when doesn't he? Anabel walked up to the trio while Dawn went over to Delia and Ariana. Anabel wrapped her arms around Ash and he returned the embrace

"Hi Ash. Who's this?" Anabel asked

"Hi Anabel. This is Alessandra Cesarini."

"It's good to finally meet you Anabel. Ash told me a lot about you." Alex said.

"Well it's good to meet you too Alessandra."

"Please call me Alex."

"So Ash how did you meet Alex?"

"Well..."

* * *

_Flashback (three Years ago)_

_Alessandra is with her Infernape, her Leafeon and her Keldeo were walking around Mt. Coronet. Alessandra had come to Mt Coronet to train her Servine, her Tranquill and her Chansey hoping that would evolve. She came upon an area suitable for camp and decided to stop and camp for the night. Alessandra opened her bag and took out her home made Pokémon food. She put out the Pokémon food for them but as she placed the last bowl the she noticed someone missing._

_"Hey, where's Keldeo?" Alessandra asked confused. She looked around hoping to see where the Colt Pokémon was. Unfortunately she couldn't see him anywhere. She let out a sigh._

_"Oh come on...Not again!" she said frustratedly._

_She then looked to Penelope._

_"Penelope, can you help me?"the Tranquill nodded and took flight._

_Alessandra returned her Chansey and Servine after promising them that she would let them eat as soon as they found the Colt Pokémon. She looked to her Infernape, Blaze, and her Leafeon, Leaf._

_"Come on, let's make Penelope's work a little easier." she said to them._

_They nodded and they started the search._

_Meanwhile Ash was watching his Pokémon training. He was about to tell then to stop for the day when he heard a sound. He turned to where the sound was coming from and before he knew it, he was tackled by something. Ash looked at the Pokémon that was now lying on him._

_"Who are you?" Ash asked_

_'My name is Keldeo.' the Pokémon replied._

_Ash then remembered reading something about him when he did some research into Pokémon from the Unova region. But Ash was puzzled as to why a legendary Pokémon from Unova would be on Mt Coronet._

_"What are you doing here?"_

_'I was with my trainer, Alessandra.'_

_"And where is she?"_

_All of a sudden everyone heard a female voice._

_"Keldeo? Keldeo?!" she was calling. "Are you here?"_

_Keldeo got up from where he was and ran to the girl that had just reached Ash's camp site. Everyone watched her kneel down to be at Keldeo's level and tickle his chin._

_"Keldeo I know you're still young. But you shouldn't get away from us. You could get hurt or captured." she said._

_Then she noticed the hooded man and his Pokémon watching them. She saw that the man was brushing snow off his coat indicating to her that Keldeo had probably just tackled him. She walked over to the stranger._

_"I'm sorry. Did my Keldeo bother you?" she said._

_"Not at all. Trust me I've taken far worse than just a tackle." Ash replied._

_"Sorry about that." she said apologetically. "Keldeo has been with me for a year and he's still young so sometimes he tends to run off and tackle people." she looked around and noticed it was getting dark and she was a long way away from her camp site. "Excuse me sir but is it ok if I let the rest of my team out and we stay here tonight?"_

_Ash nodded and she let out her team who began eating the food she'd prepared and they began talking with Ash's Pokémon. Ash looked at the Pokémon smiling. He was happy that his Pokémon were able to trust other's so easily. He wished he could do the same thing. There was probably only five people he trusted completely which saddened him. He was brought out of his thoughts when he heard the girl talking._

_"I'm Alessandra Cesarini. But my friends call me Alex." she said. "And you are?"_

_Ash was silent for a moment. He considered telling her his real name but instead chose the name he had gone by for the past three years."My name is Takeo Hayashi."_

_Flashback over_

* * *

"She found out a few day later that I was actually Ash Ketchum thanks to a certain cat."

He looked to the Meowth on his shoulder.

"I thought dat she was back at camp." Meowth said defensively.

The group spent the rest of the day together. Ash promised to help Richie with Thomas and Ursula tomorrow. As it got late Ariana yawned and the group decided to head back to their hotels to get some rest. As they got some rest a few miles away six traitors are in a bar moping. They had all faced Ash and had been humiliated. He had even sent Misty and Brock to prison. they all had one thing on their mind.

"We've got to get back at Ash. He has embarrassed all of us, he sent Misty and Brock to prison and he corrupted poor little Manaphy." May said.

"Yeah but he's too powerful." Gary replied completely dejected.

"I have an idea." A voice said from behind them.

The traitors looked to see the person who had spoken. The man's face was shrouded by the hood he was wearing the only thing visible was the evil grin on his face.

"Who the hell are you?" Max yelled.

The man smirked which made him look even more evil which disturbed the traitors.

"Who I am matters not. What matters is that I want revenge on Ash Ketchum."

"Why should we help you?" Gary asked.

"For three reasons. One you'll get revenge on him after he humiliated all of you. Two you will get Manaphy back and three I can help break your friends out of jail."

The traitors looked at each other and nodded.

"We're in." Rudy said.

The hooded man grin grew even more sinister. "You made a good decision.'"

"So what's the plan?" Max asked.

"It is simple. The best way to get at Ketchum is to use the people he loves to lure him into our trap."

Pikachu wasn't that comfortable with this. He had no desire to bring to harm to Delia or anyone else Ash holds dear to him.

'I don't know about this. We're talking about hurting innocent people.' Pikachu said.

"Come on Pikachu this is our chance to get back at Ash. So let's do what this guys says." Max said.

Pikachu looked down and nodded along. He really had no choice, he had to stick by Max and the others.. He made his choice seven years ago and now it was proving to be the wrong choice. The traitors got up and followed the hooded man.

* * *

Next morning Ash met up with everyone except for Thomas, Ursula and Paul. The former two were waiting for Ash and Richie and the latter said he was busy training,.

"Hey Alex how about you drop your Pokémon off at the clearing. The can meet Dawn, Ariana and Anabel's Pokémon and I'm sure mine would love a reunion." Ash said.

"That's a great idea Ash." She replied.

"So what is everyone's plans for today?" Ash asked.

"Well me and Ariana have some errands to run." Delia said.

"Okay I'll see you later." Ash said.

Ariana gave Ash a quick hug and then followed Delia as she walked away.

"What about you three?" Ash asked looking at Alex, Anabel and Dawn.

Dawn looked at Anabel and Alex. They both saw the look and smiled back. They then looked at Ash and grinned.

"We were planning on going shopping." Dawn said.

Ash paled at the word shopping. He still had nightmares of shopping trips with Dawn. Ash stood there and couldn't think of anything to say in response. Luckily for Ash Richie was there to save him.

"We'd love to come ladies but Ash promised to help me out today." Richie said.

Ash breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yeah we better go." Ash quickly said.

Before Anabel, Alex or Dawn had a chance to say anything Ash and Richie were long gone.

"I think my shopping sprees in Sinnoh broke Ash." Dawn said jokingly.

"Mama why papa run?" Manaphy asked.

"He has to help Richie with something ." Anabel replied.

Manaphy nodded and snuggled into Anabel's embrace.

"Well I guess it's a girls day out." Dawn said.

Anabel, Alex and Dawn walked back to the clearing to drop off Alex's Pokémon and then the trio headed towards the high street while Manaphy slept in Anabel's arms.

* * *

Meanwhile Ash and Richie were stood outside the main stadium.

"So Richie what's the plan? How are we gonna get those two together? I mean from what you've told me Thomas is just as stubborn as Ursula is." Ash said.

"Well we have two options either we try to convince them to tell each other." Richie replied.

"Yeah like that's gonna happen. What's option two?" Ash asked

Richie smirked. "We pull the tape recorder trick."

Ash looked at him sceptically. "You really think it'll work?"

"Trust me."

"I hate it when you say that." Ash groaned.

Richie looked at Ash and laughed.

"Come on this will turn out much better than my last plan." Richie said trying to lighten the mood.

"It couldn't go much bloody worse could it? Your last plan blew a massive hole in Mt Coronet. I had to get out of there quick before the G-Men got there." Ash yelled.

"How was I supposed to know that cavern was filled with Geodude, Graveller and Golem's that would use Explosion?"

"The Geodude evolutionary line live in pretty much every known mountain in every region. And if you shoot a massive Fire Blast into their cavern it's a pretty safe bet that they'll explode in response." Ash sighed. "Just give me the damn recorder"

"Here." Ash took the offered recorder. "Now go back to the Pokémon centre and Thomas should be there. Meet me and Ursula at the town's central square in an hour."

"Fine."

Ash and Richie went their separate ways to try to get Thomas and Ursula together.

* * *

On the other side of the Indigo Plateau Delia had just finished her errands. She looked at Ariana who was happily walking alongside her.

"So Ariana what do you want to do now?" Delia asked.

"Can we go to the arcade please mum?" Ariana replied.

"Okay let's go."

They headed towards the arcade. Little did they know they were being followed. From a Max and May were watching their targets. They were keeping to the shadows and had manage to avoid detection thus far. When Delia and Ariana were were getting close Max looked to his Gallade.

"You know what to do." he said.

Gallade jumped in front of the Delia and Ariana. They jumped back in shock and then Gallade sent a Hypnosis at them and they dropped to the floor unconscious. May and Max came out from the shadows and picked Delia and Ariana up.

"Well done Gallade. Let's get out of here."

Gallade nodded and they teleported away.

* * *

On the high street Alex, Anabel and Dawn had just left a general store. Alex had gotten some newly released medicinal supplies for Pokémon, Dawn had gotten a new dress for her contests and Anabel had found a book on Aura and the Aura Guardians in the shop and was now reading it.

They looked around several shops completely unaware that the hooded man was trailing them. His swift movements between the back alleys had made it easy for him to remain hidden. He got to an alleyway a little bit ahead of them and watched the women approach.

He nodded at his Pokémon and they quickly revealed themselves. One fired an attack at Alex, Anabel and Dawn causing them to fall asleep. The other Pokémon quickly teleported them away.

* * *

Anabel was the first to wake up. She groaned and looked around seeing the traitors and a hooded man in front of her. She tried to move but found that she was chained to the chair she was sat in. Alex, Ariana, Dawn and Delia woke up not long after and found that they were also chained to their chairs. Anabel looked up as she could hear the sounds of crying. She looked to where the sobbing was coming from and saw Manaphy in May's arms trying to escape. Sadly for Manaphy May's hold was too tight. Manaphy saw that her mama was now awake and struggled in May's grip. However May just tightened her grip on Manaphy to the point that it started to hurt Manaphy.

"Mama." Manaphy whimpered as tears streamed from her eyes.

"Manaphy!" Anabel started to struggle against the chains that bound her while she glared at May. "Leave Manaphy alone you scum." but May seemed to just ignore the Salon Maiden.

"Now Manaphy we've gone over this. Ash corrupted your innocent mind and turned you against me. I'm your real mama." May said firmly.

"You no mama. You no mama." Manaphy said over and over again as she tried to break free.

May struggled to keep a strong grip on Manaphy however she managed to free her arms and reached out desperately for Anabel. May growled angrily and regained her hold on Manaphy. She now wrapped her arms around Manaphy far to tightly which caused Manaphy to cry at the pain. Anabel felt useless as she watched Manaphy continue to cry.

"Please stop it May. You're hurting her." Anabel pleaded.

"Shut up. I'm Manaphy's mama. I know what is best for her."

Before Anabel could respond the hooded man walked in front of Anabel which blocked her view of Manaphy. Anabel now glared at the man stood in front of her. The man merely smirked in response.

"I guess you're all wondering why you're here. Well we've taken you to lure Ash here. He's gonna pay for what he did to me." the man snarled.

The hooded man then looked at several of the traitors Pokémon

"All of you scout around outside and tell us when he is coming." he commanded.

They headed outside and split up. Quilava and Gliscor broke away and headed to the high street, hoping they'd find Ash.

* * *

Ash and Richie were walking back down the high street happy that they'd helped get Ursula and Thomas together. Ash was looking around the stores hoping to surprise Anabel and the other's.

"I still can't believe that worked." Ash said in disbelief.

"Hey I do have the occasional good idea you know."

"I think rare idea would be more accurate." Ash quipped.

Richie had a fake hurt look on his face.

"Hey I resent that."

They both started laughing. When they calmed down Richie went back to his hotel room to relax and Ash continued down on the high street looking for his loved ones. He was startled when a Braviary landed in front of him. The flying type handed him a note and then it flew off. Ash looked confusedly at the note.

_Hello Ketchum,_

_I've captured your mother, Ariana, Alessandra, Dawn and your precious Anabel. I have been planning how to get back at you for years and now I've finally found the perfect way to get revenge. But first lets play a little game. You have half an hour from the time my Braviary returns to find us before they get hurt and trust me what I plan to do will be painful. If you inform either the police or the G-Men then their torture will be far worse than you could possibly imagine. Well the clock is ticking you'd better get searching._

Ash screwed up the paper and his Aura flared from rage and fear.

"Damn it. I should have made at least Keldeo go with them." he yelled

Ash quickly ran towards the clearing to get all the Pokémon. As he ran past the Pokémon Centre he spotted Gliscor and Quilava. He charged over at them more than ready to beat the location of his loved ones out of them. He stopped in front of them and as Aura Sphere formed in his right hand. Gliscor and Quilava took a step back in fear.

"W-w-wait Ash we know where they took Anabel and the other's. We want to help you." Quilava said nervously.

Ash looked at them sceptically as anger still raged in him.

"We're telling the truth Ash." Gliscor added.

Ash looked into their eyes and saw there were no lies in their eyes. He dissolved the Aura Sphere and glared at them.

"This doesn't change anything." Ash said harshly.

"We know that Ash." they replied.

"Alright let's just get all the Pokémon first." Ash said.

Gliscor and Quilava nodded and followed Ash who started sprinting to the clearing. When they got there all the Pokémon saw him and were worried at the enraged look on his face. They then spotted the two treacherous Pokémon behind him and many of them began charging attacks to blast them. Although Ash would have been more than happy for his Pokémon to attack them he knew that they need Gliscor and Quilava's help.

"Wait don't attack them." the Pokémon all looked at Ash wondering why they shouldn't. "Listen for now they are our allies. Someone has kidnapped Anabel, Ariana, Alex, Dawn and my mother. These two have assured me that they will lead us to them."

The Pokémon looked angry to be working with Gliscor and Quilava but understood the need to work with them. Ash returned all of the Pokémon except for Meowth and Keldeo. They followed Quilava and Gliscor who shot off to the south.

Quilava and Gliscor cam to a stop in front of an old abandoned building. Ash pushed the door open and saw 'them' standing in front of him. The traitors looked at Ash than at Quilava and Gliscor.

"So he was right you two betrayed us." Gary said.

Gliscor and Quilava growled at them in response. The hooded man stepped forward out of the shadows.

"So your finally here Ketchum. It's time for my revenge."

"Who are you? What's your problem with me?" Ash yelled.

The cackled evilly and then lowered his hood revealing a face that Ash thought he'd seen for the last time 2 and a half years ago. Ash and Meowth's eyes widened.

"It can't be."

* * *

Notes

Please give a review telling me what you liked/didn't like.

If you have any questions PM them to me. I am more than happy to answer them.

So who is the hooded man?

What did Ash do to him that has made him go to such extreme lengths to get revenge?

Combo Moves

Hidden Barrage - Hidden Power + Swift + Power Gem

Thunder Night Slash - Thunderbolt + Night Slash

Thunder Pulse - Water Pulse + Thunderbolt


	11. Revenge and Atonement

Thank you everyone who took the time to review. I really appreciate it.

Here's chapter 11 I hope you enjoy.

In conversations:

'- Translation of Poké Speech – No human unless otherwise stated can understand it. Ash can understand it due to his Aura.

"- Human speech

"**- Telepathy**

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

* * *

"Tobias."

Tobias clapped a few times.

"Well done Ketchum. I'm glad that you remember me."

Ash stood there in shock. It was impossible that Tobias was here. After what happened two and a half years ago he could have sworn that would be the last time he would see Tobias.

"It can't be you. I saw you fall from that cliff." Ash said in disbelief.

"Yes well let's just say that I got extremely lucky."

* * *

_F__lashback (2 and a half years ago)_

_Ash had been assisting the Pokémon Rangers for the past couple of months. He had put away several Pokémon Poachers in the last few months but had now been given his most important mission to date. He had been assigned to find a Poacher who had been capturing Legendary Pokémon using cruel measures. Several times the Rangers had gotten close but every time he had escaped. Ash couldn't allow someone like this to continue harming Pokémon so he willingly took the mission. He started his search in Sinnoh as he had sensed a high level of distress coming from Azelf. They had maintained their bond so Ash was almost certain that whoever was causing Azelf's distress was the person he was looking for._

_Ash had gotten to Sinnoh as quickly as possible and arrived at Lake Valor in time to see Azelf. The Willpower Pokémon was covered in injuries and clearly unable to battle. However he was being shocked by the container he had been trapped in. Ash saw a man stood in front of the container with some kind of remote in his hand. Ash guessed that it was a control for the container._

_"Now this can stop right now as long as you swear to obey me." the man said._

_Azelf shook his head defiantly. He would not be controlled by this evil man. The man turned a gauge all the way to the max which massively increased the power of the electricity that was shocking Azelf. The overwhelming power caused Azelf to scream in agony. Ash had seen enough of this. He quickly sent Charizard out. The dragon charged forward and smashed the container. Charizard picked up Azelf who had lost consciousness and brought him to Ash. Seeing the poor condition Azelf was in Ash released Gardevoir and she began healing Azelf. Ash glared at the man responsible for this._

_"Who are you? Why are you doing this?" Ash yelled._

_"Don't you recognise me Ash?" the man asked._

_The man dropped the hood that was shrouding his face and Ash's jaw dropped._

_"Tobias why are you doing this?" Ash couldn't understand why the Tobias he knew would do this._

_An evil grin was now plastered on Tobias' face._

_"Well obviously I'm capturing another Legendary Pokémon. Come on Ash how do you think I got my other Legendary Pokémon to obey me?"_

_Ash was stunned that this was the same man he had fought in the Sinnoh League over four years ago. But the more Ash thought about it the more it made sense. After all why else would they listen to his commands. It also explained how he had caught them in regular poke balls. He had tortured them until they had no choice but to serve him. Ash was furious._

_"I've got to stop you." Ash said in a determined tone._

_"Ha you think you can beat me? You lost four years ago and now will be no different." Tobias mocked._

_"I don't think so Tobias. I'm not the same foolish kid I was back then."_

_"I seriously doubt that. But if you want to be beaten again I'll battle you on one condition. When I win you give me that Azelf over there."_

_"Deal."_

_"I'll tell you what Ketchum I'm gonna give you a chance. I'll choose first, I'm sure you remember him. Darkrai crush him"_

_"You're way to predictable Tobias. Primeape may the Aura guide you."_

_Tobias looked at Primeape in disdain._

_"That's the best you have to fight me. This will be even easier than I thought. Dark Void."_

_"Take it. Then use Close Combat."_

_Tobias was confused why Ash told Primeape to just stand there but he wasn't gonna complain. Darkrai formed some dark energy in his hands and shot it at Primeape who stood there. Tobias smirked as the dark energy hit Primeape but stood there in disbelief when he saw that Primeape was unaffected by the attack. Before he could give Darkrai another command Primeape charged forward and hit Darkrai with a flurry of punches and kicks. When his bombardment ended Primeape jumped back in front of Ash. Tobias was stunned._

_"What how is that possible?" Tobias asked in shock._

_"It's simple really. Primeape has the Vital Spirit ability which means he can't be put to sleep." Ash stated._

_Tobias was worried as his main strategy had been countered._

_"Darkrai Ice Beam."_

_"Put your right fist forward and charge a Thunder Punch into your left fist. Then hit him with Elemental Punches."_

_Darkrai formed a light blue orb in his hands and fired light blue beams of ice from the orb at Primeape. The pig monkey smirked as the attack shot towards him. His left fist suddenly started to crackle with electricity and at the same time he raised his right fist. The beams of ice hit his fist which was frozen by the attack. Tobias smirked thinking how foolish Ash had been. But his smirk quickly vanished as he saw Primeape run forward and hit Darkrai with the frozen fist and then the electric fist. The punches sent the Nightmare Pokémon smashing into a boulder and he slumped to the ground. But Ash wasn't finished ._

_"Giga Impact."_

_Primeape charged full speed at Darkrai who had just managed to get back into the air however he was clearly struggling to remain conscious. Tobias could only watch as the defenceless Darkrai was sent crashing behind him finally losing the battle with consciousness. Tobias was stunned he just couldn't believe Darkrai had been beaten so easily after he had crushed so many people in the past. Tobias returned the Nightmare Pokémon and glared at Ash while taking another Pokéball off his belt._

_"Ok Latios you're up."_

_"Primeape return. Flygon may the Aura guide you."_

_The dragons sized each other up and grinned glad that they'd have a challenge._

_"Dragon Pulse."_

_"Flygon match it."_

_Both Pokémon formed a turquoise orb and fired them at each other. The attacks clashed and cancelled each other out creating an explosion that shrouded both dragons in a cloud of dust._

_"Dragon Claw"_

_"Do the same."_

_When the dust settled both Pokémon flew at each other and their claws glowed. They exchanged blows both getting in some good hits however Latios appeared to be coming off worse as his body was covered in far more cuts than Flygon's. Both then threw a claw forwards which was caught by their opponents other hand. It became a battle of strength however neither was gaining an upper hand. Flygon then descended knowing that on the ground he had the advantage. Latios could see what Flygon had planned and quickly broke away. Both dragons then flew back in front of their trainers._

_"Latios Zen Headbutt."_

_"Use Iron Tail_

_Latios charged forward Psychic energy focussed into his head surrounding it in a blue glow. Flygon shot high into the sky and his tail turned metallic. Latios changed his course and shot straight at Flygon who swung his tail at the approaching Latios. The attacks collided which created a shock wave which knocked them both back. The dragons looked tired but ready for more, _

_"Dragon Rush." Ash and Tobias both called out._

_The two dragons bodies were surrounded in a blue aura. They charged at each other and the clash of power created an explosion which sent them both crashing into some of the trees that surrounded their make shift battlefield. Both dragons managed to get back up but it was obvious to both trainers that they only had one more attack left in them._

_"Latios use Luster Purge."_

_"Flygon Draco Meteor."_

_Latios opened his mouth and white sparkles formed and gathered in it. The sparkles then formed a pink ball of energy. He then fired a massive pink beam from the ball at Flygon. In response Flygon fired an orange orb into the sky. The orb then exploded sending several meteor like orbs crashing to the ground. The attacks created a series of explosions that once again covered the battlefield in dust. When the dust cleared it revealed both Pokémon who were both on the ground unconscious. Ash and Tobias returned their Pokémon._

_"Suicune you're turn."_

_"Absol may the Aura guide you."_

_"Hydro Pump."_

_"Ice Beam."_

_Suicune opened his mouth and fired a high pressure jet of water at the disaster Pokémon. Absol quickly opened her mouth and formed a light blue orb. She then shot several light blue beams of ice at the Hydro Pump. The ice froze the water which stopped the attack and made crash to the ground covering the battlefield in shards of ice. Tobias growled in annoyance._

_"Use Iron Head."_

_Ash smirked. He had hoped that Tobias would get frustrated so he would make some mistakes and now Tobias was playing into his hands._

_"Match him with Megahorn then use Night Slash."_

_Suicune charged forward and his head turned metallic. Meanwhile the sickle on her Absol's head glowed and she ran at Aurora Pokémon. The attacks clashed and neither of them were giving any ground. However Absol raised her front paws and her claws were now black. She slashed Suicune's front legs which causing him to stagger back. Absol then ran forward and slashed him with her sickle which opened up a nasty gash on his right side._

_"Suicune Signal Beam."_

_Ash was worried as he knew that could cause some serious damage. The only choice he now had was to try the new move they'd been working on._

_"Use Bounce then use Dark Impact."_

_Suicune formed a white orb and then fired a rainbow coloured beam from the orb. The beam shot at Absol who sprang into the air dodging the attack. She was then surrounded by dark energy and began plummeting towards Suicune who was too shocked to move by the powerful looking attack. When Absol crashed into Suicune the legendary dog was sent skidding along the ground coming to a stop in front of Tobias. Both trainers looked at legendary Pokémon and saw that his body covered in cuts and bruises. Ash smirked as he watched Absol staggering back to him with a satisfied look on her face. Ash thanked her and she was returned to her poke ball._

"_This isn't over Ketchum go Moltres."_

_Ash looked over his shoulder at Charizard and nodded. The dragon smirked and now stood in front of Ash ready to prove who the better fire and flying type is. Moltres was slightly intimated by the powerful looking dragon._

_"Moltres use Flamethrower."_

_The Legendary sent a burst of flames at Charizard who like Ash stood there completely unimpressed. When the attack hit Charizard was bathed in flames which made Tobias and Moltres feel pretty confident. However their confidence was shattered when the flames died down as it showed a completely unharmed Charizard. Moltres looked at him and felt something he'd never felt before... fear._

_"Is that really the best you got? You're such a disappointment Tobias. Charizard show him a proper Flamethrower then hit him with a Thunder Punch."_

_Charizard opened his mouth and shot a much bigger burst of flames at Moltres. The flames surrounded Moltres which made him screeched in pain. When Moltres recovered from the attack he opened his eyes and saw the dragon flying at him with his fist crackling. Moltres had no chance to prevent the attack headed his way and could only watch as Charizard threw his fist forward. When the fist impacted on Moltres he was subjected to excruciating pain. It was even worse than when Tobias had trapped him in his container all those years ago. He lost control of his body and he crashed to the ground. Ash was surprised when Moltres somehow pushed himself back into the air._

_"Drill Peck."_

_"Flare Blitz."_

_Moltres shot back into the air straight at Charizard and his beak glowing white. At the same time Charizard was engulfed in flames and he charged at Moltres. The fire and flying types clashed and the collision caused them both to be pushed back. This had no real affect on Charizard. Moltres on the other hand was sent sent crashing back into the ground. He slammed into the ground and Ash was certain that it was over. However Moltres was somehow pushing himself up using his wings._

_"Charizard finish him."_

_Charizard smirked and then flew down at Moltres who had collapsed. Charizard stopped and looked back at Ash who nodded. The dragon once again flew at Moltres and he grabbed the limp legendary by its neck. He flew straight back up and flew high into the sky. When he got high enough he stopped and threw Moltres back down to earth. Moltres cracked open an eye and saw that he was headed straight at the rocks protruding from the ground. He tried to move but his body wasn't responding so he crashed into the battlefield. Charizard flew down and stood in front of Ash. Tobias looked at the proud looking dragon and his broken bird. Tobias' confidence was waning more by the second. He looked at Ash and saw the smug look on his face and it infuriated him._

_"Cresselia lets crush this scum."_

_"Glaceon, may the Aura guide you."_

_Both Pokémon appeared on the battlefield and Ash was suddenly dubious of using Glaceon. She had only evolved recently so she hadn't had a lot of time to get used to her new powers but he had faith in her abilities. Tobias looked at the ice Eeveelution and could tell she was inexperienced. He suddenly felt extremely confident that Cresselia would sweep it aside._

_"Using inexperienced Pokémon is a big mistake Ash. This will be an easy win." Tobias said mockingly._

_Ash and Glaceon glared at Tobias. Tobias smirked back but was slightly confused when he saw Ash mutter something to the fox. But he couldn't hear what Ash said so he just disregarded it._

_"Well I'll put your weak little fox out of its misery. Cresselia use Psychic and throw that Glaceon into that boulder."_

_"Use Double Team. Then use Ice Beam."_

_Multiple copies of Glaceon quickly appeared all around Cresselia. The Lunar Pokémon glowed blue and then a similar glow surrounded one of the Glaceon around her. Unfortunately Cresselia only hit one of the copies making her start looking around anxiously trying to spot the real Glaceon. She watched as every single one of the Glaceon formed a light blue orb in front of them and fired several light blue beams of ice at her. She didn't know to do and since Tobias gave her no orders she was then struck with an Ice Beam to her left. She quickly turned to her left and once again glowed blue. She smirked as she assumed that she had gotten the real Glaceon. But she was wrong as the copy faded away. She growled angrily and then felt an Ice Beam hit her from behind. She was rapidly getting annoyed._

_"Cresselia use Calm Mind."_

_Cressalia did as Tobias asked and felt much better. Tobias was relieved that he had gotten Cresselia to calm down as if she was frustrated she would not be able to focus._

"_Now Levitate the rocks and throw them at everyone single one of them."_

_She was surrounded in a blue glow again and she lifted the rocks from the destroyed battlefield. The rocks circled around her and then she began throwing them at all of the Glaceon. Eventually she heard the real one cry out as the rock smashed into her and she skidded across the ground. Tobias smirked when he saw the concerned look on Ash's face._

_"Now throw all the rocks at her."_

_"Quick Blizzard." Ash said frantically._

_Cresselia lifted the rocks with Psychic. They were sent hurtling at Glaceon who was struggling to get to her feet. Somehow she managed to open her mouth and fire a powerful blizzard which froze all the rocks making them crash to the ground._

_"So you wanna fire rocks at us, well two can play at that game Tobias. Use Icy Wind."_

_Glaceon opened her mouth and the inside glowed light blue. She then released a strong wind that had sparkling blue flecks of snow in it. The chilled wind launched the frozen rocks at Cresselia and she was knocked back by the heavy rocks. Tobias needed Cresselia to have as much strength as possible if he was going to turn this match around so he decided that it was time he finished it._

_"Giga Impact."_

_Ash smiled confidently which confused Tobias._

_"Frost Smash."_

_The Pokémon charged at it each other. Cresselia was glowing white and Glaceon was encased in ice. When the attacks collided Ash and Tobias heard the Cresselia cry in pain and seconds later Tobias watched in disbelief as Cresselia collapsed. He shock only intensified when he saw Glaceon walking away as if she hadn't even taken a bit of damage._

_"What? I don't understand. How is that possible? She was struggling to stand how could she beat Cresselia?" Tobias yelled angrily._

_"Never heard of a ruse? I knew you'd go for a Giga Impact thinking that she'd be defenceless. So at the start of the battle I told Glaceon to feign injury. All of the worried looks and the desperation in my voice was all fake."_

_Tobias was almost embarrassed that he'd fallen for such an obvious trick. He had underestimated Ketchum from the start and he was paying for that mistake._

_"Hey Tobias I thought you were going to beat me easily." Ash taunted._

_Tobias was fuming, Ash was mocking him. He was being completely humiliated by Ketchum and he would not stand for this._

_"Shut up Ketchum. I'm not finished yet. Meloetta destroy him."_

_"Lucario may the Aura lead us to victory."_

_Ash smirked at the furious look on Tobias' face. The smug look on Ash's face pissed Tobias off even more._

_"Use Psychic."_

_"Cancel it out with Dark Pulse."_

_Meloetta glowed blue and then fired a wave of psychic energy at the jackal. Lucario wasn't concerned and just stood still as he formed enough dark energy to surround himself. The psychic wave hit Lucario but is was dispelled by the Dark attack. Tobias was at the stage where he just wanted to land a hit._

_"Focus Blast."_

_"Jump over it and use Blazing Aura."_

_Meloetta formed a blue orb and then fired it at Lucario. The jackal easily leapt over the attack. He landed behind Meloetta and formed an orb of Aura which levitated in front of him. His paw was then engulfed in flames and he punched the orb of Aura which now glowed blue but was surrounded in flames. The orb rocketed at Meloetta at a blistering pace and she cried out in pain when the attack hit her. Meloetta was now bent over breathing hard and wincing in pain. _

_"Lucario it's time to finish this Elemental Combat."_

_Lucario charged at Meloetta who was still doubled over trying to recover from the devastating blow she had just taken. She looked up and saw the jackal running at her. His left paw was engulfed in flames and his paw right crackled with electricity. She knew there was nothing she could do to stop Lucario and just stood there defenceless trying to withstand the ruthless assault she was subjected to. But the pain was far too much for her to handle and she collapsed._

_Tobias looked at his now unconscious Meloetta. He was in utter shock. He'd never been beaten in battle before and today he was completely humiliated. Tobias saw Ash headed his was and knew that he only had 1 option. He turned and ran away as quick as he could. But despite his best efforts he couldn't get away from Ash. Tobias didn't know how long he had been running all he knew was that his legs were burning and he was covered in cuts from where the branches of various trees had caught him._

_Tobias eventually came to the edge of a cliff. He turned around and saw Ash stood behind him. He was trapped now and had no way to get past Ash. Tobias weighed his options and then looked from Ash to the bottom of the cliff. He met Ash's gaze and then fell backwards crashing into the ocean. Ash walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down but could find no trace of Tobias._

"_I never thought he would choose death over prison." Ash murmured._

_Ash then saw four Pokéballs on the ground. He released the Pokémon and saw that Darkrai and Latios were missing. He returned the four legendaries and took out his Pokénav and called back to the ranger base._

"_Hey Takeo." a female voice said._

"_Hey Mason. I found the guy who was capturing the legendaries."_

"_Really? Who is it?"_

"_It was Tobias."_

"_Wow I never expected that. Wait a second... was? What do you mean was?" she asked_

"_He's dead. He fell off a cliff when I had him cornered. I have managed to save Meloetta, Cresselia, Moltres and Suicune."_

"_I can't believe that a man would choose to die. Are you sure he's... dead?"_

"_He fell over one hundred foot and if he survived the fall there are several viscous Pokémon like Sharpedo in this area."_

_Solana was silent for a moment as she thought about what Ash said._

"_Ok Takeo return to base and we can try to figure out what to do with those legendaries."_

"_Ok I'll be back as soon as possible."_

_They hung up and Ash placed his Pokénav back into his pocket. He took one last look over the cliff and then walked back to where he had left Azelf, Charizard and Gardevoir._

_Flashback end_

* * *

"I managed to survive the fall somehow and thanks to Latios I managed to end up in the Unova Region. I've spent all this time waiting for my chance for revenge and this tournament provided the perfect opportunity. I just need the perfect bait for my trap and that's where your loved ones come in."

He pointed to the corner of the room where a light was switched on. Ash was infuriated when he saw Anabel, Alex, Ariana, Dawn and his mother chained to their chairs.

"Papa! Help!"

Ash looked to where the cry had come from and saw Manaphy trapped in May's arms. Ash growled as his Aura flared around him.

"You've all screwed up big time. You will pay for hurting the people I love."

The traitors smirked and released all their Pokémon. Ash sent out all of the Pokémon He then saw Gliscor and Quilava stand alongside them to battle the traitors.

"Meowth go save Manaphy. The rest of you take care of their Pokémon." Ash commanded

The Pokémon nodded and charged at the traitors Pokémon. Ash watched as various blasts of energy being fired at each other and Pokémon were sent crashing into the walls. Meowth ran at May who stepped back clinging on to Manaphy.

"Listen twerpette give me Manaphy or else." Meowth said.

"No I'll never give her to you." May said defiantly as kept a firm grip on Manaphy.

"Fine. Manaphy close your eyes until you can get free. Then come to me."

Manaphy did as Meowth said and closed her eyes. Meowth ran at May and sunk his claws into her leg which made her scream in pain. The pain was so intense that her grip on Manaphy loosened allowing her to escape. Manaphy landed in Meowth's arms and he quickly ran away behind the rest of the Pokémon He left Manaphy with Blissy and Audio and then jumped into the fight.

* * *

Meanwhile Ash ran over to his loved ones.

"Are you all okay?" he asked worriedly

To his relief they nodded. Ash channelled some Aura into his hands and then grabbed the chains that were binding Anabel. Tobias smirked as he watched Ash breaking the chains. He looked at his Pokémon.

"All of you use Hyper Beam."

The six Pokémon formed an orange orb in front of them and fired a powerful orange beam from the orb straight at Ash. As he broke the chains Ash was surprised to see that his loved ones eyes had widened. He turned around and saw the powerful blasts headed their way. He knew that there was only one thing he could do to save the people he loved now. He gently pressed his lips to Anabel's. When they broke apart Anabel could tell by the look in Ash's eyes what he was intending to do.

"Ash please don't do this." Anabel pleaded.

Ash gave Anabel a sad smile and turned around. He crossed his arms in front of him, closed his eyes and focussed all his Aura into making a shield. He just hoped that it would be enough to at least protect the people he loved. His own fate didn't matter. Ariana, Dawn, Delia, Alex and Anabel had tears streaming down their faces as they saw the Hyper Beams headed towards Ash. Anabel struggled to get free so that she could at least be with Ash at the end but it was futile and she could only sit there and watch as the Hyper Beams explode in front of Ash. The explosion hid Ash in smoke.

"ASH NO!" Anabel screamed. And then everything went silent.

* * *

Notes

Please give a review telling me what you liked/didn't like.

If you have any questions PM them to me. I am more than happy to answer them.

Combo moves

Elemental Punches – Thunder Punch + Ice Punch

Dark Impact – Dark Pulse + Giga Impact

Frost Smash – Equivalent of Flare Blitz, Volt Tackle etc.

Blazing Aura – Aura Sphere + Fire Punch

Elemental Combat – Fire Punch + Thunder Punch + Close Combat


	12. A Legendary Battle

Thank you everyone who took the time to review. I really appreciate it.

Here's chapter 12 I hope you enjoy.

In conversations:

'- Translation of Poké Speech – No human unless otherwise stated can understand it. Ash can understand it due to his Aura.

"- Human speech

"**- Telepathy**

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

* * *

The room was eerily quiet. The Pokémon where all looking sadly at the area Ash had stood. Even the traitors were looking down guiltily. Sure they wanted revenge but they didn't want him to die. Suddenly the sound of cackling filled the room. Everyone looked to see Tobias and his Pokémon all laughing evilly.

"He's dead. I have dreamt of this day for the last two and a half years."

Anabel was sobbing uncontrollably now.

"Poor little Anabel. Ash has left you all alone again." Tobias taunted as Anabel's sobs intensified.

"Not yet he hasn't."

Tobias looked in disbelief as Ash stood there completely unharmed. Ash glared at Tobias who stood there in shock.

"I-it's impossible." Tobias said.

Ash ignored Tobias and looked at the two Pokémon that had saved his life. One was a bat like creature and the other was a large badger. Both were horribly injured with blood seeping out of the wounds that now covered their bodies.

"Thank you Gliscor, Typhlosion." Ash said now focussed on Gliscor and Typhlosion.

They turned their heads and looked at Ash. They both smiled at their old trainer and then their eyes shut and they collapsed. Ash knelt down to them and checked them for a pulse. He was relieved to find that they both still lived..

"Audio, Blissy get over here and do everything you can to heal them. Gardevoir help them out." Ash yelled.

The three Pokémon ran over and began healing them. Blissy and Gardevoir would normally have been reluctant to do this as they were treacherous but they knew by the tone Ash was using that it was best not to argue with him. Ash turned around and quickly broke the restraints holding his loved ones in place. The second she was free Anabel quickly pulled Ash into a bone crushing hug and sobbed into his shirt. He wrapped his arms around her and rubbed her back trying to calm her. She then started to pound his chest.

"Ash don't ever do something like that again. I've lost you once already. I couldn't handle losing you again." she said between sobs.

"Anabel if you were in danger I would do anything even sacrifice myself to save you."

Anabel replied by pushing her lips to Ash's in a loving kiss. The action took him by surprise but he quickly melted into the kiss and returned it. He decided to be bold by slightly opening his mouth and he was pleasantly surprised when she did the same. He then brushed his tongue against hers and gradually deepened the kiss. To them time seemed to stand still and nothing else mattered to them. It was the most incredible experience of their lives and they never wanted the kiss to end but need for air forced them apart. They smiled at each other and they were both blushing furiously. Ash then pressed his forehead to hers.

"Anabel I promised you I would stay with you for the rest of our lives and I will do everything in my power to keep that promise."

She smiled and rested her head on his chest.

"I know you will Ash." she murmured.

The Pokémon then ran over to their trainers in relief. They looked to the motionless Gliscor and Typhlosion with concern in their eyes. They had saved their trainers and that had earned their thanks and respect. Anabel released Ash and he looked back to Tobias who was now grinning at the badly injured Gliscor and Typhlosion. The look on his face sickened Ash as Tobias actually looked proud of what he'd done.

"That's it Tobias. You've pushed me too far now I'm going all out."

Ash pulled the poke ball off his necklace.

"Mewtwo let's avenge the fallen."

Mewtwo appeared and glared at the people in front of him making them all get chills. He glanced back at the unconscious Gliscor and Typhlosion who were still being healed. He was bemused as to why Ah was allowing them to be healed so he looked into their minds and saw what had happened. What he saw surprised him and although he was still displeased with them he no longer hated them. Despite everything that had happened they had protected Ash and those he cared for. Mewtwo swore to make the ones responsible for what happened to Gliscor and Typhlosion pay.

"Everyone protect Gliscor, Typhlosion and the healers. Me and Mewtwo will deal with Tobias and his Pokémon" Ash commanded.

The Pokémon all nodded and stood in a defensive formation around the healers and began beating back the traitors Pokémon.

"Hey Ash."

He looked to his right and saw Alex and Keldeo looking ready to battle.

"Got room for another legendary?" she asked.

Ash smirked.

"Sure let's do this."

* * *

Keldeo stepped alongside Mewtwo and looked at the six Pokémon standing before them. The first was the Braviary that had delivered the note to Ash. Stood next to the vicious bird was a Haxorus, an Excadrill, a Scrafty, an Eelektross and a Reuniclus. Tobias looked at Keldeo and was certain he had seen the Colt Pokémon before.

"Wait a minute I remember you. You're the weak little Keldeo that Victini saved. After the damage my Pokémon did to you that day I was certain that we'd killed you. Well I guess today I get to finish you off."

Keldeo growled angrily at Tobias who just smirked back. Tobias then looked at the creature next to Keldeo bemused. He had never seen nor heard of a Mewtwo but by the looks of Gary who was cowering from the Pokémon it was clearly something to be feared. Luckily he hadn't revealed his best Pokémon. Tobias pulled six more poke balls off his belt and threw them into the air revealing Darkrai, Latios, Victini and finally Terrakion, Cobalion and Virizion.

Ash and Mewtwo looked at the Pokémon before them unfazed. They knew that with Alex and Keldeo this fight would be no problem. Meanwhile Alessandra was mentally cursing her bad luck. The moment she saw that Tobias had Keldeo's old teachers with him. Alex looked at Keldeo and could tell by his expression that he too was shocked.

She thought back to when they last met three years ago. She had captured Cobalion and Virizion so she could let them meet Keldeo when she had found Terrakion again. They had helped Keldeo learn Secret Sword and how to change to the Resolution forme. She had been surprised when they allowed her to have Keldeo as her official Pokémon and would be forever in their debt.

Ash looked at Alex concerned. He knew that Alex and Keldeo had a strong connection with the swordsmen.

"Alex what's up." he asked.

Alessandra hadn't heard him she was focussed on Keldeo. She knew he was reluctant to do this and to be honest she was too. She knelt to the Colt Pokémon's level to let her look to him.

"Keldeo..." she started which made the Colt Pokémon look at her. "Listen. I know you don't want to fight the ones that raised you since that forest fire. I know they taught you everything you know. But sadly they're now Tobias' Pokémon. So you have to find the courage to face them."

**"She's right Keldeo. You must face them." **Mewtwo added.

"Hey I know it's difficult. But you need to find the courage to battle them and defeat them. I know that they would have told you the same."

Keldeo nodded showing he understood and that he would do what must be done. Alessandra smiled seeing that he was now ready to fight his old teachers. She got up and turned to face Tobias' Pokémon

"Alright Keldeo. We wanted to make this a surprise but I think we need to go all out so let's show them how Resolute you had become."'

Keldeo glowed blue and his forme changed. The main difference was that he now had a large blue horn protruding from his head. Ash looked at the Colt Pokémon impressed.

"I always knew that there was something special about Keldeo. But I never expected anything like this." he said.

"Well we were saving this for when we battled you and Mewtwo but I think this is a more appropriate time."

"Well we'll have to have that battle sometime soon." Ash said.

**"I look forward to a confrontation with him." **Mewtwo said.

"So Alex do you wanna take the three swordsmen while we take care of the rest?" Ash asked.

Keldeo looked dubious but he looked at Alex and the determination on her face inspired him.

'Sounds good Ash.' Keldeo said.

* * *

Tobias looked at Terrakion, Virizion and Cobalion.

"You three deal with the Keldeo. I'll deal with Ketchum."

The three swordsmen stood in front of Keldeo. They had evil smirks on their faces. Keldeo knew by the looks that they were no longer the Pokémon who trained him. They lunged at the Colt Pokémon and their battle began. Tobias watched as Keldeo dodged the attacks being sent his way. He turned his attention to Ash and began his assault on Mewtwo.

"Darkrai use Dark Void."

"You're still using the same old strategy. I'm disappointed. Mewtwo deflect it back with Light Screen."

Darkrai formed a crimson and black orb in his hands and fired it at Mewtwo. The Genetic Pokémon raised his right arm and erected a a gold barrier. The sleep inducing attack hit the screen of energy that Mewtwo had formed and was sent hurtling back in Darkrai's direction. The Nightmare Pokémon saw his own attack headed his way and quickly shifted to the right. The crimson and black orb missed Darkrai by less than an inch and it dissolved the second it hit the ceiling. Tobias grit his teeth in frustration that Ash had once again countered Dark Void. Since he had no other tactic Tobias decided that the best thing he could do would be to bombard Mewtwo.

"Haxorus Dragon Claw. Excadrill Metal Claw. Scrafty Crunch. Braviary Brave Bird. Eelektross Thunderbolt. Reuniclus Shadow Ball. Darkrai Dark Pulse. Latios use Luster Purge and Victini use Flamethrower."

"Mewtwo use Aura Shadow Stones."

Haxorus' claws glowed green, Excadrill's claws shimmered silver and Scrafty's teeth glowed white. The trio then charged full speed at Mewtwo. Braviary tucked in his wings and flew at Mewtwo. Eelektross fired a bolt of electricity at Mewtwo. Reuniclus formed a ball of black energy and shot it at the Genetic Pokémon. Darkrai then released a wave of dark energy. Latios opened his mouth and white sparkles formed and gathered in it. The sparkles then formed a pink ball of energy. He then fired a massive pink beam from the ball and finally Victini opened his mouth a shot a burst of flames at Mewtwo.

Mewtwo smirked completely unconcerned at all the attacks headed his way. He used Psychic to raise the remnants of the destroyed floor and the stones circled around him. He then formed several orbs of black energy and several orbs of Aura. He threw his arms forward and the orbs and stones shot at Tobias's Pokémon The attacks slammed into Tobias' Pokémon and sent the charging Pokémon crashing back into the Pokémon that had fired long range attacks. The amount of damage caused by the combination of attack made all of the non-legendaries struggle to get back into the fight.

"Mewtwo use Iron Tail on the ground. Then well you know what to do." Ash said.

Before Tobias had a chance to command his Pokémon Mewtwo slammed his now metallic tail into the ground. The force created a shock wave that caused all of Tobias' Pokémon stood on the ground to be launched into the air. As they were coming back to the ground Mewtwo hit Excadrill with his tail which had lost its metallic sheen and was now surrounded in water. The ground type was sent crashing into the ceiling. Mewtwo turned around quickly and hit Haxorus' jaw with his now frozen fist. The power behind his punch knocked Haxorus to the ground. As Haxorus was about to get back up the unconscious Excadrill fell on top of him from the ceiling. The dragon was crushed under Excadrill which ended his involvement in the battle.

"Scrafty Crunch again and Braviary go for another Brave Bird."

Scrafty jumped from behind Mewtwo and bit down hard on his arm. Scrafty felt confident that this Mewtwo or whatever he's called would now be yelling out in pain. However his confidence was shattered when Mewtwo turned his view to him and smirked. The look on Mewtwo's face terrified Scrafty who then took a powerful blow to the abdomen. Scrafty released Mewtwo's arm and was doubled over trying to recover. Mewtwo then sensed Braviary trying to attack him from behind. Mewtwo jumped making Braviary accidentally slam into Scrafty which knocked him out. The flying was about to turn around and try again but found himself unable to move. Braviary then noticed a blue glow surrounding him. He then yelled out in pain as he felt two crackling hands now grasping his wings. Braviary was just hoping that it was over but sadly for him his punishment wasn't over yet. Mewtwo then fired a Thunderbolt down his arms which electrocuted the helpless bird making him lose consciousness almost instantly.

Mewtwo then turned around and batted away a Shadow Ball headed his way. The ball of black energy was sent into the path of a Thunderbolt which caused the attacks to explode on impact. Mewtwo focussed some psychic energy into his arm and charged the electric eel. Eelektross was immobilised from fear and stood there watching in terror as Mewtwo slashed him. The attack left a terrible gash that crossed most of the right side of his body and made him collapse, Mewtwo then picked up the limp eel and threw him straight at Darkrai, Latios and Victini preventing them from firing the attacks they had prepared.

This only left Reuniclus. Mewtwo jumped over the psychic type and landed on his back. Reuniclus tried to shake Mewtwo off but his hold was too tight. Mewtwo slammed his fist right down on Reuniclus' head which caused Reuniclus the last of Tobias' non-legendaries to faint. This left Mewtwo against Darkrai, Latios and Victini.

* * *

Meanwhile Keldeo was dodging the attacks that his former mentor's were launching at him. Keldeo then saw an opening and was about to attack Virizion but he then saw an image of her training with him. The distraction gave Cobalion and Terrakion enough time to crash straight into him. The power of them sent Keldeo slamming into the wall.

"Keldeo." Alex yelled in concern.

Tobias smirked when he saw that Keldeo was down.

"It seems that Keldeo is even more pathetic than I remember." he then looked at Terrakion, Virizion and Cobalion. "You three forget the weakling and help deal with Mewtwo."

They turned away from Keldeo and charged at Mewtwo who barely managed to dodge their attacks. Alex ran over to the prone Colt Pokémon.

"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

Keldeo didn't answer her. He couldn't even bring himself to look at her. He was ashamed that despite everything he'd seen today he was still unable to bring himself to fight his former mentor's. Keldeo forced himself to watch Mewtwo who was now fighting off the six Legendary Pokémon. But he was slowly losing ground.

"Mewtwo Psychic Repulse." Ash ordered hoping it would create a bit of space.

Mewtwo created a barrier of Psychic energy around himself and then released it. The powerful wave of psychic energy sent all of the Pokémon crashing into the walls. Both Ash and Mewtwo were surprised to see how quickly some of them recovered. Mewtwo had no time to dodge Cobalion who cut a gash across Mewtwo's left side. The genetic Pokémon staggered back and clutched his side.

**"Ash I need help. You have to use it."**

Ash was about to reveal the device on his wrist when he saw a blue blur charge past him and slam into Terrakion. The bovine like swordsmen crashed into Virizion and the pair skidded along the floor finally coming to a stop when they slammed into the wall. A blue glow then surrounded Mewtwo and Cobalion. Mewtwo lifted Cobalion into the air and threw him at the two prone swordsmen. Alex nodded at Ash who now had no need to use the device..

"Finish Cobalion, Virizion and Terrakion with Ice Aqua Impact." Ash and Alex said.

Keldeo became surrounded in water and shot off towards the three swordsmen all of his doubts were now forgotten. Mewtwo formed a light blue orb between his hands and then fired several beams of ice at Keldeo which froze him. Keldeo rammed into his former mentors and they were sent hurtling across the room crashing into the wall. The trio then slumped to the ground unconscious. This left Mewtwo and Keldeo against Darkrai, Latios and Victini. Tobias was getting desperate now.

"Darkrai use Dark Pulse, Latios Luster Purge and Victini use Fusion Flare."

"Keldeo take the Dark Pulse."

"Mewtwo make the other two attacks collide with each other."

Darkrai fired a wave of Dark energy that was headed for Mewtwo but Keldeo stepped in the way and benefited from the power boost it gave him. Latios opened his mouth and white sparkles formed and gathered in it. The sparkles then formed a pink ball of energy and Latios fired a pink beam from the orb. Victini the formed a large sphere of flames that had two rings surrounding it and fired it. The ball of flames and the dragon powered shock wave were and now hurtling towards Keldeo. The Colt Pokémon was not concerned by the incoming attacks and he smirked when he saw both attacks become outlined in blue. The attacks changed course hitting each other and nullifying the attacks. All legendaries looked exhausted so Ash and Alex took advantage of their weakness.

"Keldeo Hydro Pump."

"Mewtwo use Psychic to speed it up."

Keldeo shot an extremely powerful stream of water at Tobias' exhausted Pokémon. The water was then surrounded in a blue glow and the psychic power accelerated the attack. The attack it hit Latios, Darkrai and Victini and the power from the attack sent them slamming into the wall. The trio were not finished yet though and somehow managed to get back up.

"Alex it's time to put them out of their misery."

"Yeah you're right. Keldeo use Hyper Beam."

"Use Psychic to split it into several beams and direct them at each of Tobias' Pokémon."

Keldeo formed an orange orb in his mouth and then fired an extremely power orange beam from the orb. The blast was far larger than Tobias' six Pokémon had managed all together. The Hyper Beam was then surrounded in a blue glow and it was split into several smaller beams which were all aimed at all of Tobias' Pokémon. The massive power of the attacks created an explosion which left all the Pokémon looking in almost as bad a state as Gliscor and Typhlosion. Alex saw all the injured Pokémon and for the first time she had no desire to help them.

* * *

Tobias fell to his knees still trying to process what had happened. Ash and Alex saw the broken man and smirked. They turned around and walked over to the healers who had now finished. Both Pokémon still looked in bad shape but were considerably better than before.

"Blissy, Audio, Gardevoir how are they? Will they be okay?" Ash asked.

'Honestly Ash we don't know. They took 6 Hyper Beams between them and we've never had to heal that sort of punishment before. We've done all we can it's just down to them really.' Audio replied

Ash nodded and prayed they'd be okay. They had saved him and the people he loved and for that alone they deserved a second chance.

"Hey can you heal up Mewtwo he took a nasty cut to his side." he asked.

They nodded and went to the genetic Pokémon who winced as his wound was healed. Mewtwo looked gratefully at Blissy and Audio.

**"Thank you both. I appreciate it."**

Ash then glanced at the buildings destroyed interior and the unconscious Pokémon belonging to Tobias and the traitors that were scattered around. As he scanned the room he saw Cobalion, Virizion and Terrakion and had an idea.

"Hey Alex why don't you take the Legendary swordsmen? I can tell there is still some good in them and in time they could return to their former selves." he said.

She looked at them and knew that Ash was right. She also felt as if she owed it to them. After they trusted her with Keldeo she knew that this was her chance to repay them.

"Yeah Ash you're right."

"Mewtwo you know what to do."

Mewtwo's eyes glowed blue and Tobias' poke balls shattered. Alex then took out three of her own and captured Cobalion, Virizion and Terrakion. This snapped Tobias out of his state of shock at losing again,. Two and a half years of planning and training had been wasted. He was devastated and knew that this time there would be no escape.

"So Ash you've defeated me again. I have nowhere to run so I guess you'll hand me over to the G-Men." Tobias said dejectedly.

Ash turned his attention to Tobias and his Aura surrounded him again. Ash's voice became dark and cold.

"Oh I will Tobias. But I'm not done with you yet."

Tobias looked at Ash and was petrified at the look on his face. Ash began walking towards Tobias but stopped when he felt someone grab on to him.

"Ash."

He looked and saw it was Anabel. His eyes softened at the sight of her and his Aura was no longer flaring.

"Come on Ash let's go. You've beaten him and the G-Men are on their way." she said.

Ash was confused.

"How did they know to come here?" he asked.

Anabel looked at Alex who was holding her Pokénav

"I recorded the whole thing. Luckily they didn't check us because they are such morons. I just sent the recording to the police who informed the G-Men. They have tracked the location of my Pokénav and will be here very soon."

Ash wasn't surprised. Alex had always been resourceful. He turned his gaze back to Anabel.

"Okay I'll see you outside in a minute." he said softly.

Anabel nodded and Ash watched her leave with the others. Charizard and Raikou were carrying the injured Gliscor and Typhlosion. This left just Ash, Tobias, the traitors and their Pokémon in the building.

Tobias breathed a sigh of relief thinking he'd been saved from Ash's wrath, but he was wrong. Ash charged some Aura in to his fist and shot forward. He punched Tobias in the stomach, shattering his ribs and causing him to cough up some blood. Tobias then collapsed clutching his stomach while groaning in pain. Ash knelt down to Tobias who was in excruciating pain.

"Consider yourself lucky. If it hadn't been for Anabel you'd have never walked again." Ash said darkly.

Ash turned around and left. The now terrified traitors sat there looking at Tobias who was writhing around in agony and were thanking anyone who was listening that Ash hadn't done that to them. Lance and the G-Men arrived moments later and arrested them and quickly got Tobias to a hospital.

* * *

Ash, Ariana, Delia, Alex and Anabel are all walking towards the clearing. Their Pokémon all still out and forming a protective circle around them. Ash had one arm wrapped protectively around Anabel and his other had some Aura charged in it ready in case anything happened. Today's events leaving him and the Pokémon worried for their safety. Ash was switching his view from his loved ones to the still motionless forms of Gliscor and Typhlosion. Anabel saw the worried look on his face

"Don't worry Ash. I'm sure they'll be fine." she said reassuringly.

Ash was hoping she was right. After what they'd done he wanted to tell them how much he appreciated what they'd done and that he had forgiven them.

"Yeah you're right they'll be fine." he said although he didn't fully believe it.

* * *

When they got back to the clearing all the Pokémon broke the circle and went to their trainers happy that they were safe. They all went off to various areas but made sure that their trainers and Ash's mother were always in view. Ash released his grip on Anabel and the Aura in his hand vanished. He went to where Gliscor and Typhlosion had been placed and leaned on a nearby tree but like the Pokémon made sure his loved ones were always in view.

He saw Alessandra was scratching Keldeo's chin and heard her talking to him.

"You've done great Keldeo. All of us are proud of you especially me and I bet that Terrakion, Cobalion and Virizion will be too when we make get them back to how they were."

Alessandra looked to Ash and the others before looking back to her Team. She walked over to Ash who was still looking at the Pokémon who had saved him from those Hyper Beams.

"Ya know?" she started "Keldeo wasn't the only one that was reluctant to fight Virizion, Cobalion and Terrakion. I was too."

Ash turned his attention briefly to her.

"I'm not surprised. I mean they allowed you to keep Keldeo and showed a lot of faith in you." Ash paused for a moment. "By the way how did you meet them? You were pretty vague on the details."

"I have met them twice before today. The first time was when I heard the Legend of the Sacred Swordsmen and Keldeo and I knew I had to meet them. The second time I brought Keldeo with me to have a reunion with his old teachers. To do so I had to capture Virizion and Cobalion too just to make sure that all four were in the same place. Once I found Terrakion again, I released Virizion and Cobalion because I knew that Unova needed them. Once they finished training Keldeo they let me keep him as a sign of their trust in me."

She stopped briefly to collect her thoughts.

"I wonder what would have happened if instead of freeing them. I kept them and caught Terrakion. Maybe things could have been different and Keldeo might not have had to fight his teachers." Alex said guiltily.

"You can't beat yourself up over this Alex. Sure had you caught them Tobias wouldn't have but Unova could have seen a lot of problems because of their absence."

"Yeah I guess you're right and like you said they were needed more in Unova than with me. Today Keldeo had to face an important decision, but as I told him, I felt that his teachers would have wanted him to stop them if there was no choice."

"I'm sure that when they are back to their old selves they will be proud of you both."

Alex smiled and then yawned the days events had drained her. Ash saw that she was not the only one as Ariana was asleep and his mother, Dawn and Anabel were both on the verge of joining her.

"Go get some rest Alex. You need it after what's happened today."

She nodded all of sudden to tired to give a verbal response. She went to her Pokémon and lied down all of them forming around her just as Ariana, Dawn and Anabel's Pokémon had done. Ash looked at their sleeping forms and smiled as he saw Manaphy snuggling up to Anabel. Ash then went to talk to Flygon, Charizard, Rotom and Butterfree.

"Hey I need you four to do me a favour."

They all nodded.

"After today I want to make sure they are safe for the rest of the tournament. So if I'm not with them can you guys keep an eye out. I know that Alex will have Keldeo out so you won't need to watch over her. But I want you to look out for my mother, Ariana, Dawn and Anabel."

Again they all nodded.

'Sure Ash we'll make sure they're safe and don't worry we'll stay out of sight.' Charizard replied

"Thanks guys."

The four of them went off. Charizard and Butterfree joined Ash's other Kanto Pokémon who had positioned themselves around his mother. Ash smiled at what he saw, he then turned his attention back to the two injured Pokémon and vowed to stay with them so he'd be there when they woke up.

* * *

In the early hours of the morning Ash was drifting in and out of sleep, Gliscor woke up and he looked over to Typhlosion who was regaining consciousness. They both rubbed their heads cursing the headaches that plagued them.

"Hey Quilava is that you?" Gliscor asked.

"Yeah I evolved to protect Ash. So are we dead or what?"

It was at this point that Ash saw the Pokémon leaning up and talking to each other. He got up and went to them the only thing stopping him from hugging them both was his knowledge of their injuries.

"Gliscor, Typhlosion you're okay. Guys I can't begin to tell you how much I appreciate what you did. You put your lives on the line for me and the people I love. Thank you so much."

Ash now had tears in his eyes. He was overjoyed that they were going to be okay.

"It's the least we could do for you Ash." they both replied.

Ash smiled at them. He looked at their still wounded bodies.

"Hey you should get some rest. Although the worst of your injuries have been healed you are both still pretty banged up."

Both nodded their heads causing them both to wince reminding them of said injuries.

"Oh by the way if you look to your side you'll see something that belongs to you." Ash said

They both turned over and saw a red and white sphere.

"The choice is..."

Ash didn't get the chance to finish his sentence as they had both tapped the capture button on the poke balls. Ash smiled happy that they were okay and that they were now back with him. He sent them back out and they both immediately drifted back off to sleep with smiles on their faces. Ash left them and went to Anabel, he lied down next to her making sure not to crush Manaphy and fell to sleep.

* * *

When Ash woke up he decided to let the other's get some more rest. Being kidnapped yesterday must have taken a lot out of them both physically and mentally so they could do with all the rest they could get. He looked at the time and went to see if Paul and Richie were waiting for him. He left a note saying where he was going so they wouldn't worry.

When Ash got to the Pokémon centre he saw Richie with Sparky on his shoulder as always and Paul with his usual look of indifference. When they saw Ash they were confused about why he was alone.

"Hey where are the other's?" Richie asked.

"Well I don't know where Ursula and Thomas are. As for the others well after what happened yesterday I thought they should rest up a bit." Ash replied

Both Paul and Richie looked at Ash even more confused than before.

"So are you gonna tell us what happened then? Or are we gonna have to start playing twenty fucking questions?" Paul said angrily.

"Sorry Paul. This is what happened..."

Ash proceeded to tell them everything and by the end both Richie and Paul were enraged.

"I hope you made those bastards pay." Richie growled.

Ash knew Richie must be pissed as he very rarely swore.

"And I hope Alex didn't pull any of that healing bullshit again." Paul added.

Ash chuckled as it looked like Paul is still pissed about that. Then again now that Ash thought about Charizard still was and yesterday's event will have done nothing to help with his rage.

"Oh they paid alright. You should have seen the look on their faces when I shattered Tobias' ribs and to answer your question Paul no she didn't."

All four of them grinned and entered the Pokémon centre. Once inside they saw that the T.V was on. They watched and saw that the traitors were the main story. The four of them listened to the reporter.

"Yesterday May Maple, Max Maple, Rudy the joint leader of Cerulean Gym, Drew the runner up in the last Grand Festival, Gary Oak and Tracey Sketchitt were arrested. The group are being charged with kidnap. It is believed that they will plead guilt as there is apparently overwhelming evidence."

They chuckled at the fate of the traitors.

"Also Tobias, the winner of the Sinnoh League seven years ago will also be charged with kidnap and cruelty to Pokémon along with several other crimes linked to him. His trial shall take place as soon as he is out of the hospital. He was rushed in yesterday with several broken ribs and several internal injuries."

The four of them all laughed hysterically at the fate of Tobias. Paul was the first to calm down and his serious side re-emerged although a smirk was still present on his face.

"Come on let's see who our next victim's are." Paul said.

They walked to the desk and Nurse Joy handed Ash his schedule first. He looked at the piece of paper and the happy look on his face instantly changed to a sad one. The schedule fell from Ash's hand and he silently turned and went to leave the Pokémon centre. He raised the hood on his cloak and kept his head down the whole time ensuring no one could see his face.

"Ash what's wrong?" asked hoping he would get an answer from Ash.

They got no response and Ash went through the doors leaving them all bemused at what could cause their friends sudden change. Sparky saw the schedule on the floor and jumped off Richie's shoulder. He picked it up and looked at it. His ears suddenly drooped and he let out a sad sigh. Richie was worried by the sad look on his friends face.

"What is it Sparky?"

Sparky just handed his trainer the schedule. Richie and Paul looked at it and the three of them then turned their gaze to the doors of the Pokémon centre. Sparky and Richie had sad looks on their faces and surprisingly even Paul had a look of sympathy on his face.

* * *

Notes

Please give a review telling me what you liked/didn't like.

If you have any questions PM them to me. I am more than happy to answer them.

So who is Ash facing next round?

That is the last time the traitors will be a main part of this story. They may come back in the epilogue though.

I will be writing a couple of requested back stories for a separate story called The Return Of The Betrayed Guardian - Back stories. I know it's such an imaginative name. So if you wanna learn a bit more about certain events then check it out. The first chapter has been uploaded. It is about Dawn being forced to turn against Ash. So the next chapter for this will probably be a up in a week or so..

Combo Moves

Aura Shadow Stones – Aura Sphere + Shadow Ball + Stone Edge

Ice Aqua Impact – Aqua Jet + Giga Impact + Ice Beam


	13. All's Fair in Love and Pokémon

Thank you everyone who took the time to review. I really appreciate it.

Here's chapter 13 I hope you enjoy.

In conversations:

'- Translation of Poké Speech – No human unless otherwise stated can understand it. Ash can understand it due to his Aura.

"- Human speech

"**- Telepathy**

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon.

* * *

Ash was walking down the high street. He didn't know where he was going and to be completely honest he didn't care. The only thing going through his mind right now was his battle tomorrow against Anabel. Every time he thought about it he saw all the good times he'd had with her in the last few weeks and it would bring a smile to his otherwise troubled face. Then the smile would fade when he thought back to what happened yesterday. He then would see the horrific images he had of the state her arms had been in because of his absence.

"How can I battle her?" Ash said not really expecting an answer.

"**Ash there is a way that you wouldn't have to." **a baritone voice replied.

"What's your idea?" Ash asked willing to do almost anything to avoid fighting Anabel.

"**Well you can use me to battle her and..."**

"NO!" Ash yelled cutting off Mewtwo.

Several people looked at Ash wondering why he had randomly shouted. Ash ignored the people and carried on walked.

"I'm sorry for that Mewtwo. I appreciate the offer but we both know that it wouldn't be fair if I used you to fight Anabel."

"**I knew you'd say that. You're just going to have to rely on the Pokémon you choose. All we can do is hope that the Pokémon you choose are strong enough to beat her without your commands."**

Ash just nodded and kept walking on.

* * *

Meanwhile Anabel, Alex, Ariana, Dawn and Delia entered the Pokémon centre expecting to find Ash waiting there for them. They were slightly disappointed when they only saw Richie with Sparky on his shoulder and Paul. They were concerned when they saw the with rather sad looks on their faces..

"Hey Paul, Richie do you know where Ash is?" Anabel asked.

Richie and Sparky looked down and even Paul averted his gaze.

"No we don't. He left a while ago and he didn't say where he was going." Richie replied.

The five women were all highly confused at their behaviour.

"Hey what's wrong." Alex asked.

"Go get your schedules first. Then we'll tell you." Richie replied.

Alex and Anabel did as Richie asked and got schedules from Nurse Joy. Alex looked at hers and didn't give much of a reaction knowing that her opponent probably wouldn't prove much of a threat. Anabel on the other hand looked shocked for a moment then a smile came to her face.

"So what's the problem with me and Ash battling?." Anabel asked knowing that this must be part of what's wrong.

"Are you really that blind?" Paul yelled.

"Now hold on Paul. You know how well Ash hides things now. We're the only people who can see through the guise he occasionally puts up." Richie said jumping to Anabel's defence.

The women were even more confused than before.

"I don't understand. What are you talking about?" Anabel asked worriedly.

Anabel wanted no she needed to know what was wrong with Ash. Richie sighed.

"Listen Anabel. Ash is still carrying a lot of guilt on his shoulders. You don't know it but he repeatedly blames himself for what his disappearance put you through and yesterday's events can't have helped."

Anabel looked down the ground suddenly becoming very interesting.

"So what does that mean?" she mumbled in response.

Paul turned around and began walking towards the doors.

"It means that even though Ash is more powerful than you. There is a good chance he will lose to you."

Paul then left the Pokémon centre. Richie sighed again.

"I hate to say it but I agree with Paul. Don't blame yourself Anabel. It's just how Ash is. If something happens he usually blames himself for it."

Anabel realised he was right. Ash had blamed himself for what had happened to her, Lapras and Pidgeot. Now he probably blames himself for yesterdays events.

"How could I be so blind?" Anabel said sadly.

"Hey like I said don't blame yourself. Ash would hate it if you started doing that. I'm gonna go look for Ash. I think you should all do the same."

"What about Paul? Shouldn't we get him to help?" Dawn asked.

"What do you think he went off to do?" Richie replied.

Richie then walked out of the Pokémon Centre. Leaving the women stunned at the revelation. They knew Ash always put other's before himself and did normally blame himself for things even if they were outside of his control. But they didn't think he took things this bad. They agreed to split up and try to find him. As they left the Pokémon Centre they didn't notice four flying Pokémon tracking their every move.

* * *

Ash had finally come to a stop at the main stadium. Since there were no matches today it was completely empty. He relished the silence and stared up at the flames of Moltres.

"I can't believe it's been over ten years since I was first here." Ash murmured

Ash heard footsteps headed his way. Ash just kept looking at the flames as the person continued walking until he was stood next to Ash. Neither of them looked at the other and they stood there in silence.

"Y'know Ketchum you're getting predictable." Paul said breaking the silence.

Ash chuckled. "Yeah I guess I am. How did you know I'd be here?"

"Well I guessed that you'd want to go somewhere that would be quiet and empty. After thinking about it I decided that this was the most logical place to start."

After a moments silence Paul sighed.

"Listen Ash if you lose tomorrow because you don't go all out Anabel will be more upset than if you go all out and completely thrash her."

Ash stayed silent thinking about what Paul was saying.

"Also she'd feel guilty as she would blame herself for you not fighting at full strength."

Ash stood there still thinking about what Paul had said and realised that he was right. He looked at Paul and grinned.

"Thanks Paul. I needed to hear that."

"Don't mention it."

"I gotta admit what you said was pretty nice by your standards Paul. You're not going soft on me are you?" Ash said jokingly.

"Pfft of course not. I just don't want you to get knocked out before I get a shot at you."

"Uh huh." Ash replied not at all convinced. "And your sudden bout of kindness wouldn't have anything to do with a certain blue haired Co-Ordinator?"

Paul cheeks turned red. "Don't be ridiculous." he replied.

"Your mouth says one thing your face says another. I've seen the way you look at her when you think nobody else is looking."

Paul glared at Ash. "Shut up Ash."

"Hey she looks at you the same way."

Paul turned around and walked away not wanting to continue the conversation. Ash waited until Paul had left before he started thinking about how to get them together.

So I'm not going to be getting any confessions out of Paul any time soon. Maybe I could get Dawn to confess but then she won't have the confidence to approach Paul and even if she did he'd probably be stubborn and reject her. How am I going to get Paul to confess? Ash thought.

Ash stood and pondered for a minute and then suddenly an idea popped into his head. Ash smirked deviously.

"Well I guess I'll have to talk to mum about this after my match tomorrow."

Ash then left the stadium and returned to the clearing to tell his Pokémon about their opponent tomorrow. When he walked into the clearing his Pokémon saw him coming and approached him.

"Listen up guys. Tomorrow we'll be battling Anabel."

Several of them looked on sadly knowing how hard this must be for him. Ash could see that Glaceon and Gardevoir were taking it slightly worse than the others for obvious reasons. Ash looked at them and smiled.

"Don't worry I'm not using either of you. I wouldn't wanna make you have to fight your mates." Ash said to Glaceon and Gardevoir's relief.

"I promised you guys that we would come here and win this and I intend to win no matter who we are battling." Ash said confidently.

He looked at his Pokémon and pointed at six of them. "You six are battling tomorrow."

They nodded and all went back to what they were doing before his arrival. Ash sat down and took a nap waiting for when the others would find him.

* * *

It was late afternoon by the time the other's came back to the clearing. When they found him he was training with Lucario. Ash lost focus when he sensed Anabel, Alex, Ariana, Dawn and his mother arrive. The distraction caused him to take an Aura Sphere to his gut. The impact made him to fall to one knee and clutch his aching stomach. Lucario ran to Ash and looked at him guiltily.

'Master I apologise. Please forgive me.'

"Don't worry about it Lucario. That was a very good Aura Sphere I'm proud of you. And stop calling me Master." Ash replied.

Both trainer and Pokémon looked at each other and then started laughing. Ash's loved ones rushed over to him worried after seeing the attack hit him. Anabel wrapped her arms around him and looked at him worried that he was seriously hurt.

"Ash are you okay?" Anabel asked worriedly

He nodded and returned the embrace.

"Yeah I'm fine. Trust me when I say that I've taken worse. You don't need to worry about me." Ash said with a smile.

She broke the hug happy that he was okay. Ash then felt Manaphy jump into his arms. He looked down at her and saw tears in her eyes.

"Papa hurt." Manaphy whimpered.

"No I'm fine Manaphy." Ash said softly while he hugged Manaphy.

Manaphy looked up at Ash again and he wiped away her tears. She smiled and snuggled into him. Anabel watched the scene and decided she was going to talk to Ash about their match tomorrow when they were alone. She would talk to him about it now but she knew he probably wouldn't say much with everyone else here.

They spent the rest of the afternoon just relaxing. Although Ash did occasionally train with his Pokémon. As it got late Alex, Dawn, Ariana and Delia decided to return to their hotels. Manaphy chose to go with Delia as she wanted to spend more time with her grandma. Ash watched as Charizard, Rotom, Flygon and Butterfree took off not long after they left to make sure they got back safely. Once they were out of sight Ash went and lied down next to Anabel to get some sleep and prepare himself for tomorrow. Ash smiled at Anabel and gently pressed his lips to hers. When they broke apart they gazed lovingly at each other.

"Ash I want to have this battle with you tomorrow. Please stop feeling guilty over the past. I don't blame you for what happened and nobody else does. I want to fight you at your best and I don't want you to hold back." Anabel said.

Ash looked at the woman he loved and knew that he couldn't say no to her. After a short pause he sighed

"Ok Anabel. In our battle tomorrow I promise I won't hold back."

Anabel smiled and rested her head on his chest and quickly fell to sleep. Ash wrapped his arms around her so she was tight in his embrace. He looked at her and his thoughts were racing. He knew it would be hard but he would keep that promise.

* * *

The next day Ash sat in the locker room waiting to be called to the battlefield. He heard his and Anabel's name and he exhaled heavily. He pushed himself to his feet and walked out of the tunnel. When he entered the arena he saw Anabel waiting for him on the other side of the battlefield. Anabel looked back hoping Ash would keep his word and battle at full capability.

"This battle is between Ash Ketchum and the Salon Maiden Anabel. This will be a full six vs six battle. When one person has lost three Pokémon there will be a short break while the battlefield is changed. Substitutions are allowed at any time. Ash Ketchum will choose his Pokémon first."

Ash pulled the first Pokéball off his belt.

"Lucario may the Aura guide you."

The jackal appeared and took a fighting stance. Anabel then pulled a Pokéball off her belt.

"Gallade come on out my friend."

Gallade got into his own fighting stance. The two fighting types stared each other down. Both were excited that now they got to fight properly instead of just sparring.

"Anabel you can go first." Ash said.

"Ok. Gallade use Psychic."

"Dark Pulse." Ash said surprised that Anabel chosen that attack considering that she had watched his previous matches.

Gallade fired a wave of Psychic energy at Lucario who was surrounded in a dark aura which negated the psychic attack. Watching the attack be nullified made Anabel feel rather foolish for not remembering that Ash had used Dark Pulse to counter psychic attacks before. She was now weighing her options. She knew that Psychic attacks would be useless because of Ash's tactic of using Dark Pulse so her only option was to go for Gallade's fighting moves. After a moments though she came up with the perfect plan.

"Focus Blast. Then charge and use Drain Punch."

"Aura Sphere. Then Aura Uppercut."

Both Pokémon formed a blue orb of energy. The fighting types launched the attacks which collided in the middle of the battlefield shrouding everything in dust. Gallade then charged through the dust and met Lucario who had done the same. Gallade's fist glowed white and he slammed his fist into Lucario's gut. The jackal took some damage from the attack but quickly responded by hitting Gallade with an Aura infused uppercut. They broke away and jumped back in front of their trainers. Anabel had seen Gallade practising with Lucario and saw him learning some of his techniques. She knew he had perfected this one and decided to try it out.

"Elemental Combat."

"Lucario do the same."

The fighters charged both of them having one fist crackling with electricity and the other engulfed in flames. They engaged in combat and although Gallade was by far the most skilled fighter he had met in the tournament thus far Lucario still managed to overpower him only taking a few hits in return. Gallade staggered back in front of Anabel who knew that Gallade only had one attack left in him. She decided to try one of the moves Ash had taught her. She knew it was a risk as they hadn't got it mastered but it was their best chance of doing some serious damage to Lucario.

"Gallade Focus Beam."

"Lucario finish it with a half strength Aura Blast."

Gallade formed a blue orb of energy in front of him. He then formed an orange orb which combined with the blue orb. Meanwhile Lucario took a fighting stance and put both his arms back and formed an orb of Aura in his hands (Imagine a Kamehameha from Dragonball Z). Gallade fired an orange and blue beam from the orb which was met by a massive blue beam from Lucario. Due to Gallade not mastering the technique he was not able to sustain the attack which made it easy for Lucario to overpower Gallade. The beam of Aura slammed into Gallade easily knocking him out.

"Gallade is unable to battle. Anabel select your next Pokémon."

Anabel silently thanked her friend and returned him. She was internally cursing herself for trying that technique when they hadn't perfected it. Ash looked at the woman he loved and could tell by the look on her face that she was beating herself up about what just happened.

"Anabel." Ash yelled.

Ash's voice snapped Anabel out of her thoughts. She quickly turned her attention to Ash.

"Don't beat yourself up over what just happened. Had I been in your place I'd have done the exact same thing. Now let's continue our battle."

Anabel gave a nod and smiled. She felt a new rush of confidence thanks to Ash's words and took another Pokéball off her belt.

"Metagross come on out my friend."

The steel type hovered in the air in front of Lucario. Ash knew he had to get Lucario out of this fight as Aura Beam drains him even at half strength. After returning Lucario Ash started debating who he should use. He just wasn't sure who to use. Metagross was a tricky one to face. He quickly made his choice and took Lucario's and one of his other Pokéballs off his belt.

"Well done Lucario have a rest. Flygon may the Aura guide you."

He knew that Anabel would use Metagross flight capabilities to avoid his non-flying Pokémon. so Flygon was the only counter Ash had to that.

"Metagross use Flash Cannon."

"Counter with Dragon Pulse."

Metagross gathered silver energy inside its body and then it fired a silver beam of energy at Flygon. The dragon in response formed a turquoise orb and then fired it at Metagross. The attacks clashed and cancelled each other out.

"Iron Zen Headbutt."

"Fire Claw. Then Iron Tail."

Metagross charged at Flygon his body had now turned silver and was also outlined in blue. At the same time Flygon shot a Flamethrower at his claws which were now engulfed in flames. He flew at Metagross and his claws clashed with Metagross. They struggled for a moment but then Flygon's tail turned metallic and he slammed it underneath Metagross. Although the steel attack did very little damage to Metagross it did distract him. Flygon took advantage of the distraction and raked his claws across Metagross. The steel type quickly fell back in front of Anabel taking a moment to recover from the attack.

"Metagross are you okay?" Anabel asked worriedly.

Metagross nodded making Anabel let out a relived sigh.

"Fire several Shadow Balls and enhance them with Psychic."

"Dodge them and use Dragon Breath."

Metagross formed several black orbs and then fired them at the dragon. Flygon showed amazing aerial skill by dodging all of them. He then flew at Metagross and when he got close Flygon opened his mouth and shot a green beam of air point-blank at Metagross. He broke away and saw that although his attack hadn't done much damage that was never the goal. Both trainers looked at Metagross and saw that he was now paralysed thanks to the Dragon Breath. Ash saw that this was his opportunity to end this.

"Flygon use Dragon Rush."

"Use Heavy Slam."

Flygon became surrounded in a blue aura and flew straight at Metagross who felt the effects of the paralysis and was unable to move. Flygon slammed into him and sent Metagross plummeting to the ground. Metagross smashed into the battlefield which created a massive tremor and shrouded him in dust. Everyone looked at where Metagross had fallen wondering if he was still conscious. When the dust cleared everyone could see Metagross pull himself out of the crater and levitate back into the air but it was clearly taking a lot of effort for him to stay in the air. Ash was surprised that Metagross had managed to keep going. He was about to call out an attack when he saw Anabel return Metagross and tell the ref that she was withdrawing it from the battle.

"Metagross has been forfeited. Anabel choose your next Pokémon."

"Mr Mime it's your turn my friend."

Ash took a look at Flygon and decided to stick with him.

"Earthquake."

Flygon flew down and slammed his tail on the ground which created a massive tremor. The immensely powerful attack created several cracks in the battlefield. Mr Mime was knocked off his feet and had to quickly crawl away to stop himself from falling into one of the canyon like cracks. When the tremors finally stopped Mr Mime got back to his feet and looked ready to battle.

"Dragon Pulse."

"Make a barrier out of the rubble."

Flygon formed another green orb and fired it at Mr Mime. The psychic type quickly lifted the debris off the battlefield and creates a shield made out of the rubble. Flygon's attack hit the rocks which stopped the attack but his attack had destroyed the majority of the shield Mr Mime had made. This made Anabel's idea that she'd used in a previous round now impossible.

"Repeatedly use Steel Wing."

"Ice Punch."

Mr Mime's fist became encased in ice. Meanwhile Flygon shot at Mr Mime like a bullet. His wings turned metallic and he struck the Barrier Pokémon and flew off. Mr Mime threw an Ice Punch but missed. He cried out in pain when Flygon dodged another one of his attempted punches and hit him at a different angle. Flygon kept doing this until Mr Mime did get a few hits in one of which crucially clipped one of his wings. The attack froze Flygon's wing and sent the dragon crashing to the floor. Mr Mime quickly ran forward and hit Flygon as he was getting up with another Ice Punch making him stagger back in front of Ash. Ash considered returning the dragon but Flygon turned around and the look in his eyes told Ash that he wanted to keep battling. Ash glanced at Mr Mime and could tell that the Steel Wings had done a lot of damage to him.

"Dragon Claw

"Use Future Sight. Then use Ice Punch again."

Mr Mime closed his eyes and foresaw an attack. Flygon quickly closed the distance between them and hit Mr Mime with another Dragon Claw creating gashes across Mr Mime's body. The pain made Mr Mime fall to his knees. He swung his arm forward and managing to hit Flygon with a weak Ice Punch which knocked the dragon back. Ash could see that Flygon was running on empty and had to finish this quick.

"Draco Meteor."

Flygon shot an orange orb into the sky which then burst and split into several meteor like orbs. The exhausted Mr Mime could do nothing to stop the meteors now hurtling his way and was knocked out by the bombardment. Flygon glided back to the ground looking triumphant but then a blue glow surrounded him the effects of Future Sight kicking in. The attack caused the last bit of damage to finally make him faint.

"Mr Mime and Flygon are unable to battle. That means Anabel has lost three Pokémon so there will now be a short break while the battlefield is changed."

* * *

The short intermission gave both Ash and Anabel a chance to speak with their Pokémon and come up with some new strategies. They heard their names called and walked back out to the battlefield. They looked at the battlefield which has been changed and it is now a water field which has a series of islands scattered across the water.

Ash smirked glad that he'd chosen his next Pokémon. As he took the Pokéball off his belt he was curious to see what Anabel's response would be.

"Lapras may the Aura guide you."

Anabel pondered for a moment. She knew Ash would call Lapras back if she chose Raikou so that left Espeon and Alakazam.

"Alakazam my friend it's your turn."

Ash had hoped Espeon would be her next choice. He contemplated switching Lapras out but he saw the look of determination in her eyes and knew that she wanted to fight now.

"Use Ice Beam."

"Dodge it."

Lapras formed a light blue orb in her mouth and then fired several light blue beams of ice from it at Alakazam. The psychic type jumped to another platform making the attack miss him completely. Ash knew that speed was going to be an issue here. He just hoped he could think of something quick before Anabel got Alakazam to...

"Use Thunder Punch on the water."

Shit. He only had seconds to think of something. He suddenly remembered what happened in the Orange Islands when he was trying to win the Coral-Eye Badge from Cissy and was praying that it would work here.

"Lapras use Ice Beam on the water then jump on the ice."

Alakazam had finished charging the electricity into his hand. He plunged his crackling fist into the water. An electrical current quickly spread to the entire pool. Just as the electricity was about to hit Lapras she froze the water in front of her and jumped on to the ice. However she wasn't quite fast enough and was hit by some of the electricity. She let out a small cry of pain but she had taken worse in the last few years.

"Fire several Thunder Blasts."

"Use Blizzard to send them back."

Alakazam formed several blue orbs of energy, his fists then crackled and he punched all the orbs so they were now infused with electricity. The orbs shot at Lapras who created a massive frozen wind sending it in Alakazam's direction. The attack froze several of them and propelled them back at Alakazam causing some damage. But many of the attacks pushed through the Blizzard and hit Lapras doing some major damage. Both Pokémon were looking tired but Lapras appeared to be in a poorer state. Ash decided to go for broke and hope that Lapras could take Alakazam down with her.

"Frost Smash."

"Psychic Rush."

Lapras became surrounded ice and Alakazam was glowing blue with psychic energy. They charged at each other but Lapras seemed to be getting an advantage as she was$ gaining a lot of momentum on the ice. When they collided the light given off from the attacks blinded everyone. When everyone could see the Pokémon again they saw that Lapras had fainted and Alakazam was looking exhausted but still conscious.

"Lapras is unable to battle. Ash choose you next Pokémon."

Ash returned Lapras and murmured a thank you. Ash then looked to the cat on his shoulder.

"Meowth finish it quick with Night Fury Swipes."

Anabel didn't get a chance to give any instruction as in seconds the cat jumped on to the battlefield and charged at Alakazam. His claws were fully extending and were pitch black. He began bombarding Alakazam with slashes quickly making Alakazam faint under the devastating assault. Anabel returned Alakazam and thanked him for his efforts.

"Espeon my friend come on out."

The Psychic Eeveelution came out and looked at Meowth looking forward to a good fight. Anabel looked at the battlefield for anything she could use to her advantage but due to the ice freezing the water and the minimal damage done to the islands she didn't have much to work with. She then formulated a plan.

"Espeon use Swift and enhance it with Psychic."

"Hidden Barrage."

Espeon formed several stars which then glowed blue and began spinning even faster. Meowth on the other hand formed six red orbs that were sent straight at the stars. He then added a horde of stars to the red orbs and finished it off with firing several rays of light that could be mistaken for gem stones. The attacks clashed and Espeon's Swift was quickly overwhelmed. Ash and Meowth were looking quite happy until they both saw the look of confidence on Anabel's face.

"Protect."

Espeon created a barrier almost instantly and the remainder of Meowth's attack hit the barrier and ricocheted off. Most of the attacks smashed into the battlefield turning several parts of it to rubble and shattering the ice. Ash was impressed at the brilliant albeit risky strategy she had used there.

"That was impressive Anabel. I never expected you to pull off a strategy like that."

She blushed under the praise. But quickly remembered that they were battling.

"Thanks Ash. Now Espeon use Psychic on the debris and throw it at Meowth."

"Dodge with Agility."

Espeon did as asked and several bits of the ruined battlefield were surrounded in a blue glow as they were levitated in the air. She then shot them straight at the cat who was deftly dodging the majority of the debris. But was still being struck by some shards of ice and some of the stones. The barrage seemed to weaken Meowth who now appeared to be exhausted and struggling to keep upright. Anabel saw that Meowth was struggling and thought this was her chance to knock him out.

"Psychic Rush."

Espeon charged at Meowth who still looked to be struggling to stay conscious. She leapt at the last minute about to strike the finishing blow. Her eyes widened in shock as she saw Meowth who was now grinning twist his body making him dodge her attack. He quickly swung his now metallic tail into Espeon's side which sent her skidding along the ground and smashing straight into the arena wall. Ash wasn't sure if Espeon was finished or not so decided to take no chances.

"Thunder Pulse."

Meowth formed an orb of water that crackled with electricity. He fired the attack and it slammed into the prone Espeon easily finishing her off. Anabel stood there stunned. But then realised that Meowth probably had a lot of practice deceiving people and she had fallen for his ruse hook, line and sinker.

"Espeon is unable to battle. Anabel choose your last Pokémon."

Anabel returned her first Pokémon and pulled the last poke ball off her belt.

"Raikou my friend let's win this."

Ash chose to 'return' Meowth who ran off the battlefield and took his usual place on Ash's shoulder.

"Luxray may the Aura guide you."

They both sent out the electric Pokémon who looked ready and raring to go, Ash decided to get Luxray and Raikou warmed up.

"Luxray Thunderbolt."

"Raikou do the same."

Both Pokémon fired a bolt of electricity at their opponent. The two attacks clashed and nullified each other.

"Dark Stars." Ash said.

Anabel didn't know what this attack was as she had never heard Ash use this. She knew that her best choice was to use one of the more defensive moves they had.

"Use Hidden Power."

Luxray formed several shining stars in front of him, but instead of firing them as usual he struck them with his paws which were now surrounded in dark energy. Each star turned from a shining white to pitch black. When they were all tainted with the dark energy Luxray directed them at Raikou. In response Raikou had created several orbs of ice around him and shot them at the approaching stars. Anabel had used this tactic in the past to stop attacks and was relieved to see that the frozen orbs stopped several of the stars. But a great deal of them sliced through the ice and hit Raikou leaving cuts where they had impacted on the Legendary Pokémon.

"Use Metallic Quick Attack."

Raikou smirked and then seemed to disappear. Luxray managed to track his movement and was only just dodging the series of attacks being launch at him. However eventually Raikou rammed right into Luxray's flank making him stagger back. Luxray growled in annoyance.

"Luxray use Discharge on the battlefield and when Raikou comes into view use Iron Tail."

Luxray did as told and sent a wave electrical energy across the battlefield. Raikou on instinct leapt into the air to dodge the attack. Luxray saw his foe and leapt up and his tail quickly turned metallic. He slammed his tail into Raikou's gut making the legendary dog crash to the ground in front of Anabel. He managed to get to his feet and watched Luxray land gracefully on the ground. Both Luxray and Raikou knew how they wanted to end this. They looked to their trainers and both Ash and Anabel understood what their Pokémon wanted and nodded in approval. Anabel was just praying that Luxray had got Raikou to perfect this move.

"Wild Impact." Ash and Anabel said.

Both Raikou and Luxray became surrounded in electricity and quickly charged at each other. The electric types clashed in the centre of the ruined battlefield. At first they were pretty even but Raikou was being pushed back slowly. He held his ground for as long as he could but eventually Luxray completely overpowered him sending Raikou crashing into the wall and knocking him out.

"Raikou is unable to battle. Ash Ketchum wins."

Ash returned Luxray with pride. He saw Anabel do the same with Raikou and then walked to meet Anabel in the middle of the battlefield. When they reached each other they embraced with smiles on their faces.

"Thank you for going all out Ash." Anabel said.

"I made you a promise and I always keep my promises. By the way that was a great battle."

"Thanks Ash." Anabel said as she blushed.

"Come on let's go see if we can get to stadium four in time to see Alex's match."

"Sounds good Ash."

They walked towards to tunnel intending to leave the stadium.

"Ash Ketchum return to the battlefield. You have another match." the referee declared.

* * *

Notes

So who is Ash's next opponent and which six Pokémon will Ash use?

Massive hint at Ikarishipping in this chapter. I'm not quite sure how they'll get together but I'm sure Delia will think of something.

Thank you all for reading and I hope you'll enjoy future chapters.

Please give a review telling me what you liked/didn't like.

If you have any questions PM them to me. I am more than happy to answer them.

Combo Moves

Focus Beam - Focus Blast + Hyper Beam

Thunder Blast - Thunder Punch + Focus Blast

Iron Zen Headbutt - Iron Head + Zen Headbutt

Fire Claw - Flamethrower + Dragon Claw

Dark Stars - Swift + Night Slash

Metallic Quick Attack - Iron Head + Quick Attack

Wild Impact - Wild Charge + Giga Impact


End file.
